ARTICLE AD BOX
Veteran UFC heavyweight Jon Jones, 36, is back in the spotlight for his legal troubles following an incident in New Mexico on February 21. He was already charged with leaving the scene of an accident, but now he has been charged with a new count of allegedly “using a telephone to intimidate, threaten, harass or insult.”
According to a police report, two cars were involved in the crash, and a woman was found in one of them “in a state of apparent intoxication and naked from the waist down.” She claims the controversial fighter was behind the wheel of her vehicle and fled on foot after the crash. A phone call soon followed, where the woman handed over the device to a police deputy. The officer spoke to a person he believes to be Jones, and the conversation, they say, was filled with “allusions to violence.” The person on the phone did not want to confirm their identity.
Officer Andrew Romero, who came as backup, also spoke to Jones on the phone and recorded similar threats. Later, when the fighter was officially contacted, he claimed that the call was suspicious because the person on the other end of the line immediately used an "unprofessional tone," which led him to doubt her identity.
COURT RECORDS AND DOUBLE CHARGES
Police obtained his call records, using a court order, and found that he called the woman 13 times between 2:17 and 11:34 a.m., while his geolocation signal was "invisible" from 11:51 p.m. to 2:11 a.m. — the exact time the accident occurred.
The first charge of leaving the scene of an accident is already active, and Jon has pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled for August 14. However, the new charge, filed by the same officer, Romero, has raised legal issues over the possible double prosecution of the same incident. Jones' attorney, Christopher Dodd, filed a motion to dismiss the second indictment.
"Mr. Jones is already facing criminal proceedings in a separate case based on the same facts, and it was completely inappropriate to file a new indictment," Dodd said. "Both cases concern the same incident and now he has to defend the same event in two places at the same time. It is not clear why the officers from the same police station did not coordinate, unless it was intentional for some nefarious purpose."
The case has been assigned to Judge Brittany Maldonado, who has not yet ruled on the motion to dismiss. The second indictment is still active, and the next hearing is scheduled for August 4.
Ironically, a few hours before the first indictment became public, the 36-year-old announced his retirement from his MMA career. However, typical of him, he quickly announced his return, saying he would return to USADA's anti-doping program, after former President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of staging a fight in the White House in 2026.
English (US) ·