Therese Apel highlights Brig. Gen. Paul Rowlett at Trumann banquet
TRUMANN, Ark. — Mississippi crime journalist Therese Apel will deliver the keynote address Monday at the Trumann Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and banquet, where she will highlight the life and legacy of the late Retired Brig. Gen. Paul Rowlett, Darkhorse Press reported.
The banquet is set for 6 p.m. Monday, March 30, at the Trumann Wildcat Center. The event, presented by Southern Bancorp, was sold out but organizers added additional seating; the chamber office can be reached at 870-483-5424 or by email at [email protected].
Rowlett, a Trumann High School graduate and United States Air Force Academy alumnus, rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Arkansas Air National Guard and served as an analyst with the U.S. Department of Justice, Darkhorse Press reported. From 2001 to 2023 he held leadership posts including Director of Operations, commander of the 123rd Intelligence Squadron, Director of Intelligence (J2) for the Arkansas National Guard and Chief of Staff of the Arkansas Air National Guard, where he supported strategic planning, intelligence, cyber and space operations.
Rowlett assisted investigators on the widely followed 2014 Jessica Chambers case, applying intelligence and analysis to the probe, according to Darkhorse Press. He died Nov. 29, 2025, in an automobile accident in Hattiesburg while traveling to testify in the trial of Quinton Tellis. Tellis remains the main suspect in the Chambers case and is on trial for the stabbing death of Ming Chen “Mandy” Hsiao in Monroe, Louisiana.
Apel, founder and manager of Darkhorse Press in Jackson, Mississippi, is known for crime and investigative reporting across print, radio and television and worked with Rowlett on the Chambers investigation; they were also personal friends. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
