Current:Home > MyArkansas parole board chair was fired from police department for lying about sex with minor-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Arkansas parole board chair was fired from police department for lying about sex with minor
View Date:2024-12-23 20:52:44
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The man appointed to chair Arkansas’ parole board by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was fired from a local police department several years ago after lying to investigators about having sex with a minor, documents released by the department show.
Jamol Jones, who Sanders named the board’s chair last week, was fired from the Benton Police Department in 2018 for lying to investigators about whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to his personnel file released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents were first reported Thursday night by Little Rock television station KATV.
Jones lied twice to criminal investigators looking into the relationship, and he initially told them he had only talked with the girl. Prosecutors didn’t pursue any charges against Jones, but he was fired for violating the department’s code of ethics by lying to investigators, the documents show.
According to the documents, Jones told an internal affairs investigator that he did not know the girl’s age but he acknowledged he “should have picked up on some clues” including Snapchat messages where she talked about going to classes all day.
A spokeswoman for Sanders did not say whether the governor or her office knew about the investigation into Jones before she appointed him, or whether Sanders believed he should still serve as parole board chair.
“Jamol bravely served our nation in the Army and protected his community as a police officer providing him with the experience and knowledge to serve on the Post-Prison Transfer Board and the Board of Corrections,” spokeswoman Alexa Henning said in an email.
Sanders last week said Jones’ “prior law enforcement experience makes him a clear choice to take on this important role.” His appointment chairing the seven-member panel expires Jan. 14, 2030.
Jones is an Army veteran who also served as a corporal assigned to patrol at training divisions at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jones did not say whether he had discussed the investigation and his firing with the governor’s office before the appointment.
“I did not break any laws, no charges were filed, but I made a mistake I’ve asked God and my families forgiveness for, and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Jones said in an email. “I am proud of my service to our country and our state, and the support of my wife and family.”
As parole board chairman, Jones also serves as a member of the state Board of Corrections. The revelations about his firing come as Sanders and the panel have been in an escalating fight over who controls the state’s prison system.
A state judge has blocked a law Sanders signed last year that took away the board’s ability to hire and fire the secretary of corrections. Following that ruling, the board fired Sanders’ appointee to the post.
veryGood! (4528)
Related
- Pedro Pascal's Sister Lux Pascal Debuts Daring Slit on Red Carpet at Gladiator II Premiere
- Boeing and union negotiators set to meet for contract talks 2 weeks into worker strike
- Maggie Smith, Harry Potter and Downton Abbey Star, Dead at 89
- NASCAR Cup Series playoffs enter Round of 12: Where drivers stand before Kansas race
- Taylor Swift's Dad Scott Swift Photobombs Couples Pic With Travis Kelce
- Trevon Diggs vs. Malik Nabers: Cowboys CB and Giants WR feud, explained
- US sweeps first day at Presidents Cup
- The Bear's Jeremy Allen White Kisses Costar Molly Gordon While Out in Los Angeles
- All Social Security retirees should do this by Nov. 20
- Watch Prince Harry Lose His Cool While Visiting a Haunted House
Ranking
- 'This dude is cool': 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge brings realism to literary detective
- Cardi B says she regrets marrying Offset: 'Always been too good for you'
- Watch Prince Harry Lose His Cool While Visiting a Haunted House
- 'Cowboy Carter' collaborators Shaboozey, Post Malone win People's Choice Country Awards
- Worker trapped under rubble after construction accident in Kentucky
- Google expert at antitrust trial says government underestimates competition for online ad dollars
- Funniest wildlife photos of the year showcased in global competition: See the finalists
- California man faces federal charge in courthouse bomb explosion
Recommendation
-
How Jersey Shore's Sammi Sweetheart Giancola's Fiancé Justin May Supports Her on IVF Journey
-
Alan Eugene Miller becomes 2nd inmate in US to be executed with nitrogen gas
-
University of Wisconsin fires former porn-making chancellor who wanted stay on as a professor
-
NFL bold predictions: Which players, teams will surprise most in Week 4?
-
Republican Gabe Evans ousts Democratic US Rep. Yadira Caraveo in Colorado
-
California governor signs law increasing penalty for soliciting minors to a felony
-
2024 PCCAs: Why Machine Gun Kelly's Teen Daughter Casie Baker Wants Nothing to Do With Hollywood
-
Brett Favre Parkinson's diagnosis potentially due to head trauma, concussions