Second suspect arrested in human remains case Crime Lab says body was Paragould man
Human remains found behind a rural Forrest City residence late last year have been identified as those of a Paragould man.
The St. Francis County Sheriff’s Department reported the Arkansas Crime Lab identified the remains as Brandon Lee Jones, 39.
So far, two people have charged in connection with his death.
Earlier this week, Sharline Marie Paine, 30, of St. Francis County, was arrested at a Lee County residence on an abuse of a corpse charge, which is a Class C felony. Paine made her first appearance in St. Francis County District Court Wednesday and is being held in the county jail on a $75,000 cash bond.
Jonathan Paulman, 31, of Forrest City, is also facing charges in the case. Paulman is charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse after the remains were found buried behind is residence on County Road 410, just west of Highway 284. His bond was set at $250,000.
Deputies were following up on a tip when they discovered Jones’ remains behind Paulman’s camper on Dec. 30. Investigators believe Jones’ body had been in the makeshift grave since November. The cause of his death has not been released.
Online court records show Paulman has had six criminal cases filed against him in St. Francis County Circuit Court since 2010 and has been placed on probation several times.
In 2013, Paulman was charged with arson, criminal mischief and aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty to arson and received six years probation with three of those to be supervised.
In 2018, Paulman was arrested on charges of stealing a GPS tracker in 2015 that he was ordered to wear as part of his supervised probation for arson.
Court records show that in 2019, Paulman pleaded guilty to theft of property and was again placed on probation for six years, with two years supervised.
The online records also show Paulman was sentenced to five years probation in both 2010 and 2011, after separate arrests for theft and burglary charges.
The investigation into Jones’ death is continuing.