Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has two essential courtroom dates upcoming associated to the identical case after he was accused of leaving the scene of an accident again in February.
Court docket information present Jones is scheduled for a bench trial on Aug. 14 primarily based on the cost of leaving the scene of an accident, which is a misdemeanor. The second bench trial is scheduled for Sept. 2, and that’s additionally primarily based on a cost for leaving the scene of an accident together with a secondary cost for Use of Phone to Terrify, Intimidate, Threaten, Harass, Annoy or Offend — one other misdemeanor.
Whereas each instances are associated to the identical incident, the second case was filed later, with the extra cost being introduced towards Jones. His lawyer, Christopher Dodd, filed a movement to dismiss the second case because of the duplicate prices towards the UFC heavyweight, however the decide has not but dominated on it.
Till then, a bench trial is about for Sept. 2 with Jones anticipated to look just about alongside his lawyer.
Your complete state of affairs stems from a automotive accident that occurred again in February after police responded to a crash the place a girl was discovered within the passenger seat, “exhibiting indicators of great intoxication and missing clothes from the waist down.”
The lady claimed that Jones was driving her automobile on the time of the accident and “subsequently fled the scene on foot.” Calls have been positioned to Jones with a police service aide stating he “seemed to be closely intoxicated and made statements implying his capability to make use of deadly drive by third events.”
The unique police report said that the particular person on the telephone refused to acknowledge it was Jones however when authorities received involved with him at a later date, he claimed the particular person chatting with him on the decision “instantly opened the dialog with unprofessional language” and that compelled him to query the legitimacy of the caller’s declare to be concerned with legislation enforcement.
That interplay is what finally led to the second cost being filed towards Jones.
Simply after that second case was filed with the extra cost, Jones’ attorney filed a motion to dismiss.
“The incidents at problem in each instances are one and the identical. Mr. Jones now’s compelled to defend himself towards two separate instances entails the very same factual allegations,” Dodd wrote in his argument. “It’s unknown why an [Albuquerque Police Department] detective and an [Albuquerque Police Department] officer who have been each concerned within the investigation of this case wouldn’t talk and coordinate who would file prices however that appears to be what occurred, except the reality is that these legislation enforcement officers deliberately violated the identical necessary joinder rule for some improper strategic function.,
“Both manner, the consequence is similar; this case ought to be dismissed as Mr. Jones has been impermissibly charged twice for a similar underlying incident.”
As a result of the decide has not dominated on the movement, Jones is scheduled to look just about on the second bench trial scheduled on Sept. 2.
Thought to be arguably the best fighter of all time, Jones’ profession has been marred by authorized points, together with a number of arrests through the years. Again in June, Jones introduced his retirement from the game whereas additionally relinquishing the UFC heavyweight title, however his hiatus was short-lived after stating that he was getting again into the UFC’s anti-doping program with hopes of competing on the deliberate card on the White Home in 2026.
