LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Jamol Jones, appointed last week to the Arkansas Board of Corrections and named chairman of the parole board, is facing questions over his qualifications after documents revealed why he was fired from the Benton Police Department in 2018.

The documents we've obtained show Jones was fired after having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

Jones, a 35-year-old Benton native, attended Wednesday's Board of Corrections meeting.

He ascended to the position about a year after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed him to what is now called the Post Prison Transfer Board (PPTB).

Jones spent a little more than a year on his hometown police force when – according to investigative files – the 17-year-old girl approached him at a gym, initiated the relationship and deceived Jones about her age.

When word of the affair reached Jones' superiors in the department, transcripts show he initially lied about the nature of the relationship.

The detective who investigated the criminal complaint said the teen's mother did not want to see the then-married, 29-year-old Jones "go to jail" over her daughter's actions. However, files show she understood the likelihood that Jones would need to be fired.

Days later, because of his initial attempts to lie and downplay what happened, Jones was fired for violating department policies.

The criminal file went to prosecutors, but the detective doubted whether Jones should be arrested. There's no record of any charges being filed, and Jones kept his law enforcement commission.

https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-parole-board-chairman-fired-from-benton-pd/91-42da0013-3cc6-427f-85c4-5dd3e067d1e0