Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones has gone on the record about his extramarital affair with Chief Deputy Prosecutor Kelly Ward, which has recently come to light. Jones sat down for a one-on-one interview with Fox 16 anchor Donna Terrell for the matter, which aired on Nov. 17.
Jones, who is seeking reelection to his post in the sixth judicial district in March, told Terrell he didn’t feel he should resign, but expressed remorse over the affair. He is married to Judge Paula Juels Jones, who presides over the North Little Rock District Court.
“The long (marital) relationship that we’ve had, we’ve been married for over 20 years now, it was hard,” Jones said in the piece. “It was hard for me to admit that I’d allowed myself to get to the point that I could betray her trust.”
Jones said his wife reacted with a mixture of anger and sadness to the matter and that the two were seeking marital counseling to repair their marriage. He also sought to set the record straight over social media reports that Paula Jones caught the pair in the act over the phone in the prosecutor’s office.
“She overheard a conversation, but that was not a conversation that was happening in the office,” Jones said.
Jones also addressed Ward’s subsequent resignation from her post, saying she left of her own volition and was not compelled to do so.
When asked directly by Terrell if Ward was forced to resign, Jones said, “No. She found another job opportunity and decided to take that job opportunity.”
“I would say the timing probably had to do with [the affair] but not being forced to resign or anything like that,” he said.
As for regaining the trust of his supporters, Jones said he was seeking understanding and to be judged on the merits of his job performance.
“I know they’re going to be watching closely, and I hope they do,” he said. “I just want them to give me back the chance to earn their trust, and I think they’ll see that I can do that.”
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