The legal representative for Jon Jones is expressing strong dissatisfaction with the Albuquerque Police Department`s decision to file charges against the former UFC champion concerning his alleged departure from the location of a February accident.
Christopher Dodd, who also represented Jones in a separate case where the athlete faced accusations from a drug testing agent, released a statement forcefully disputing the new accusation. Jones is now facing a misdemeanor count for leaving the accident site after a woman involved in the crash asserted he was operating her car at the time but subsequently ran off. Police noted the woman showed “signs of significant intoxication and lacking clothing from the waist down.”
“Speaking as Jon’s legal counsel, I am astonished by the Albuquerque Police Department’s action in pursuing this new matter,” Dodd commented in the statement. “Throughout my extensive career, I have never encountered a case as peculiar and unjustified as this.
“Jon was not behind the wheel or even in the vehicle on the night in question. It appears an intoxicated individual leveled a false accusation against Jon, seemingly to avoid facing a driving while intoxicated charge, and the authorities accepted her claim. According to the criminal complaint, it seems they even sought a warrant for Jon’s phone data during what began as a misdemeanor traffic investigation – a step I find unprecedented.
“The expenditure of police resources on such a case is truly remarkable. My conclusion is that the police may be singling out Jon improperly. We intend to fully investigate this and ensure the dismissal of this unfounded case.”
According to an Albuquerque Police report, Jones informed officers that the woman involved in the collision had been at his residence earlier in the evening. He stated they had consumed alcohol together, she later departed while impaired, and subsequently contacted him to notify him of the crash.
The woman involved in the crash reportedly stated she had reservations about drinking with Jones, citing past instances where she claimed he pressured her to drive home while intoxicated. She further alleged that Jones assured her this time would be different, and that they consumed both alcohol and mushrooms.
An alleged “restroom incident” occurred, which purportedly led the woman to remove her lower garments with the plan for Jones to transport her home to change clothes. She informed law enforcement that the last individual she recalls operating her vehicle before the crash was Jones, and claimed to have no further memory of that night`s occurrences.
Investigators acquired Jones’ phone data, which showed his device near the location where the woman stated she had been drinking with the athlete before the accident. Police noted a gap in Jones` phone records from 10:51 P.M. to 2:11 A.M. His device then reappeared in the northeast heights area of Albuquerque.
At 2:11 A.M., police reported the woman tried calling Jones without success. Between 2:17 A.M. and 11:34 A.M. the next day, Jones contacted the woman 13 times.
According to police, body camera footage also indicates Jones was repeatedly texting the woman in addition to making calls, though the message content was not available from the call logs.
The period missing from Jones’ phone data corresponds with the approximate time of the traffic accident. Police stated that based on the existing evidence, he “cannot be excluded from the scene,” leading to the charges being filed against him.
Jones is scheduled for his next court appearance on July 24.
This recent criminal filing against Jones surfaced shortly after UFC CEO Dana White announced Jones` retirement from competition and his decision to vacate the heavyweight title, opting against a potential bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall. White subsequently stated he was unaware of any pending criminal complaint against Jones until the following morning, while traveling back from a UFC event in Azerbaijan.
