MMA star Jon Jones, never one to shy away from complex situations inside or outside the cage, is now facing an unusual legal challenge in New Mexico. His ongoing legal entanglement stemming from a February car accident has taken a strange turn with the filing of new charges, some of which appear to be duplicates of existing ones.
The original incident occurred on February 21st. According to police reports, two vehicles were involved in a crash. Authorities arriving at the scene found a woman in one of the cars, described as showing signs of intoxication and being partially undressed. This woman reportedly identified Jones as the driver of her vehicle and claimed he had fled the scene on foot immediately after the collision.
The situation escalated when the woman contacted Jones by phone and allowed a police service aide to speak with him. The aide reported that Jones sounded heavily intoxicated during this conversation and allegedly made statements that could be interpreted as veiled threats involving “capacity to employ lethal force through third parties.” A responding officer, Andrew Romero, also spoke with Jones, who reportedly made similar “allusions to violence” and evaded direct questions about his identity, adding a layer of the absurd to the exchange.
Jones`s account, as later relayed to police, paints a different picture of the phone interaction. He claimed the person he spoke with immediately used “unprofessional language,” leading him to question whether he was truly speaking with law enforcement. This raises interesting technical questions about the protocol and conduct of the initial police contact.
Subsequent police investigation included subpoenaing Jones`s phone records. These records reportedly showed Jones calling the woman involved in the accident 13 times in the hours following the crash. Furthermore, a gap in his phone`s location data between 11:51 p.m. and 2:11 a.m. was noted, aligning with the approximate timeframe of the accident.
Based on the initial investigation, a misdemeanor charge for leaving the scene of an accident was filed against Jones. He has since entered a plea of not guilty, and a bench trial for this original charge is currently scheduled for August 14th.
However, the legal situation became significantly more complicated on June 30th. Officer Romero, one of the officers who spoke to Jones via phone at the scene, filed a second criminal complaint. This new case features not only a duplicate charge for leaving the scene of an accident – seemingly covering the exact same alleged offense as the first case – but also introduces a new charge: Use of Telephone to Terrify, Intimidate, Threaten, Harass, Annoy or Offend.
Understandably, Jones`s legal team quickly moved to address this unusual filing. On July 9th, attorney Christopher Dodd filed a motion seeking to dismiss the second case. Dodd argued in the motion that filing a second case for the same factual allegations is “wholly improper” and violates the “mandatory joinder rule,” which generally requires that all charges stemming from the same incident be included in a single case.
Dodd`s filing was quite direct, stating that Jones is now forced to defend himself against two separate cases based on identical facts. The attorney openly speculated whether this situation arose from a simple lack of communication between the involved police officers or, perhaps more pointedly, an “improper strategic purpose” to violate the joinder rule. Either way, he asserts, the result is an impermissible double charging for the same incident.
As of now, the second criminal complaint remains active. The case has been assigned to Judge Brittany Maldonado, but she has not yet issued a ruling on the motion to dismiss. An arraignment hearing for this second case is currently scheduled for August 4th, leaving the legal status of the new charges in limbo pending the judge`s decision.
This ongoing legal battle adds another layer to the recent narrative surrounding Jon Jones, who announced his retirement from MMA in June, only for the initial accident charge to come to light hours later. He has since hinted at a potential comeback, including re-entering the UFC`s anti-doping program. For now, however, the technicalities of New Mexico`s legal system present a more immediate challenge than any potential future opponent.
Jasper Hawthorne