PARAGOULD, Ark. – A man was arrested on a charge of rape after police say DNA results came back that matched him to an alleged rape victim this week in Paragould.
Jason Rowland, 21, of Paragould, was booked into Greene County Jail on a charge of rape at 4:38 PM on February 7. He bonded out at 11:52 AM on February 8.
The probable cause affidavit, released by the Paragould Police Department on Thursday, details the allegations. It states that on October 4, 2022, Paragould officers were dispatched to Arkansas Methodist Medical Center to take a rape report made in the ER. The alleged victim told officers that Rowland had sex with the victim while they were intoxicated and did not consent to the act. Authorities spoke with multiple witnesses who described the victim’s level of intoxication on the night of the alleged incident.
On October 11, 2022, the affidavit says Rowland was interviewed at the police substation, 801 E. Court Street. During a Mirandized interview, he is alleged to have made self-incriminating statements, Detective Corporal Tron Beesley wrote in the affidavit submitted to the court.
Rowland also agreed to a DNA swab that was sent, along with the sexual assault collection kit, to the Arkansas State Crime Lab.
On February 6, 2024, the state crime lab results identified Rowland as the contributor to the DNA profile found on the sexual assault kit with “all scientific certainty,” the PC affidavit states.
He was arrested and booked into jail the following day.
On February 8, Judge Dan Stidham set his bond at $25,000. Rowland bonded out of jail a short time after.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court.
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