Jon Jones finds himself in the legal spotlight once again, this time, after being charged with leaving the scene of a traffic accident that allegedly occurred back in February.
The criminal complaint surfaced just hours after UFC CEO Dana White announced Jones’ retirement and confirmed he would relinquish the heavyweight title, ending any talk of a potential showdown with interim champ Tom Aspinall.
Jones’ attorney, Christopher Dodd, fired back at the charge with a strong statement. Dodd, who previously defended Jones during a separate criminal investigation involving a drug testing agent, claims the entire situation is both bizarre and baseless.
“As Jon’s lawyer, I am stunned by the Albuquerque Police Department’s decision to charge him in this new case,” Dodd said. “In the thousands of cases I have handled in my career, I have never seen a case as strange and unwarranted as this one. Jon was not driving that night; he wasn’t in the car. It appears that an intoxicated woman used a false allegation against Jon to avoid being arrested for DWI, and the police fell for it.”
According to the police report obtained by MMA Fighting, the woman involved in the crash appeared intoxicated and was found without clothing from the waist down. She told officers that Jon Jones had been driving her vehicle and fled the scene on foot. But Jones denies he was ever behind the wheel.
The report states that Jones admitted to drinking with the woman earlier that evening at his home before she left while intoxicated. She later called to inform him of the accident. The woman also told police she had previously raised concerns about drinking with Jones due to past experiences, but said he assured her it would be different this time.
According to her, they drank alcohol and took mushrooms together before a so-called “restroom incident” left her without pants and prompted a plan for Jones to drive her home for new clothes.
Police later obtained Jones’ phone records, showing his device near the alleged drinking location that night. A suspicious gap in activity between 10:51 p.m. and 2:11 a.m. aligned with the crash timeline. When her call to Jones at 2:11 a.m. went unanswered, he called her 13 times between 2:17 a.m. and 11:34 a.m. the next day. Officers also noted that Jones sent multiple text messages, though the content wasn’t disclosed.
“Based on the criminal complaint, it looks like they went so far as to seek a warrant for Jon’s cell phone records while conducting a misdemeanor traffic investigation,” Dodd added. “I have never heard of such a thing. It is truly unbelievable that the police would waste this amount of resources on such a case. The only thing I can think of is that the police were targeting Jon for improper purposes. We will get to the bottom of it and make sure that this baseless case is dismissed.”
The Albuquerque Police stated Jones “cannot be excluded from the scene,” leading to the misdemeanor charge. His next court date is set for July 24.
While Jon Jones has had his fair share of legal issues in the past including two DWIs and a charge for negligent use of a firearm he had managed to keep a relatively low profile in recent years. His legal team now aims to clear his name as the retired UFC legend prepares for life outside the octagon.
