Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has two vital courtroom dates upcoming associated to the identical case after he was accused of leaving the scene of an accident again in February.
Court docket data present Jones is scheduled for a bench trial on Aug. 14 based mostly 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 based mostly 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 in opposition to Jones. His lawyer, Christopher Dodd, filed a movement to dismiss the second case because of the duplicate expenses in opposition to the UFC heavyweight, however the choose has not but dominated on it.
Till then, a bench trial is about for Sept. 2 with Jones anticipated to seem just about alongside his lawyer.
The whole 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 girl 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 via third events.”
The unique police report said that the particular person on the telephone refused to acknowledge it was Jones however when authorities acquired 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 pressured 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 in opposition to Jones.
Simply after that second case was filed with the extra cost, Jones’ attorney filed a motion to dismiss.
“The incidents at concern in each instances are one and the identical. Mr. Jones now’s pressured to defend himself in opposition to 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 expenses however that appears to be what occurred, except the reality is that these legislation enforcement officers deliberately violated the identical obligatory joinder rule for some improper strategic function.,
“Both manner, the consequence is identical; this case must be dismissed as Mr. Jones has been impermissibly charged twice for a similar underlying incident.”
As a result of the choose has not dominated on the movement, Jones is scheduled to seem 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 over time. 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.
