PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. — Pulaski county has a new prosecuting attorney. His job? Fighting crime— in the courts.
As he starts his new term after a year of record homicides, Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones, has his work cut out for him.
Jones explained that he wants to help bring closure to victims' families and make the county safer.
At the end of his first day, Jones said, "Day one a little bit tired, a little overwhelmed, really. But now it's been a good day."
After his swearing-in on Monday, and 20 years in the field, Will Jones has already gotten to work, heading the Pulaski County prosecutor's office.
The investigations that the police start— Jones works to finish.
"It's an enormous responsibility and privilege for us to be able to handle those cases... There's there are real families that are hurting behind those stories... It's our job to go to court and get the justice that we can for that family," he said.
He follows in the footsteps of Larry Jegley, who held the position for over thirty years.
"I just hoped that one day I could be in a position to carry on the baton past him and to move this office into the next phase. And I'm just glad to have the opportunity to do it," Jones added.
When he described what that next phase in office would like Jones said, "I think what we're trying to do now is to be as efficient as possible because we have so many on any given year there are about 5000 cases that are felony cases that are filed here. And you had a couple of years where a lot of those didn't get a chance to get resolved."
Jones explained that the delay from pandemic years, combined with 119 homicides in Pulaski County last year, left behind a large caseload.
"About 200 open homicide cases pending in our office right now... A good bit of those are on the docket now and will be coming on the docket, you know, as they get solved," Jones described.
Jones also addressed his stance on capital punishment in Arkansas's justice system, and said, "I think there are cases where it is justified, but I think it's a rare case-- extremely rare case...If we're going for the most serious punishment in our judicial system, then we have to make sure that we're right about it. And that's something that takes a lot of long, hard conversations to get the right decision."
He also plans to stay open to new information regarding cold cases
'We'll always take a look at those, or we'll take a second look at some if there's something else that's come to light," Jones said.
With a heavy workload ahead, Jones also said he is confident in his team.
"We have a chance to impact our community and make it safer, and I think we've got the people and the tools to be able to do that. And it's gonna take a lot of hard work. But I think we can do it," He added.