Jon Jones sees misdemeanor charges dropped after being accused of leaving scene of accident
Yesterday at 19:22
Jon Jones is no longer facing misdemeanor charges after recently being accused of leaving the scene of an accident in New Mexico.
The charges have been dropped and dismissal paperwork has been filed according to Jones' attorney Christopher Dodd, who released a statement to Sportsnet on Tuesday.
See the statement below.
We have been fully vindicated. From the very beginning, we explained that a woman made a false allegation against Jon in an effort to avoid being arrested for DWI, and unfortunately, the police accepted that claim without properly weighing the facts. Once the relevant documents were finally disclosed by the police department, Jon's cell phone records made it undeniably clear that he was nowhere near the scene of the crash. We are grateful that the district attorney's office took the time to conduct a full and fair review of this case, which ultimately confirmed Jon's innocence. At the same time, it is deeply troubling that such critical evidence was disregarded, forcing Jon to endure this ordeal unnecessarily. Our investigation into how this occurred remains ongoing.
Jones was scheduled for a bench trial appearance Tuesday afternoon in New Mexico, but the state filed a Nolle Prosequi this past Friday, meaning the case has been officially dismissed.
MMA Fighting's Damon Martin acquired a copy of the dismissal, which was submitted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Joshua D. Boone. See that statement below.
Nolle Prosequi comes now, the State of New Mexico and hereby dismisses this matter. After further investigation, the State has reason to believe the defendant's alibi defense is credible.
The State therefore dismisses this matter.
This past February, Jones was hit with a misdemeanor charge for leaving the scene of a crime after a woman involved in a car crash claimed the UFC star was the driver and that he fled after the accident occurred. Police stated the woman showed signs "of significant intoxication" and was "lacking clothing from the waist down."
Jones and his legal team immediately denied the fighter had any involvement in the incident, with Dodd saying in a statement that he was "stunned" the Albuquerque Police Department would charge Jones under the circumstances.
"Jon was not driving that night; he wasn't in the car," Dodd said. "It appears that an intoxicated woman used a false allegation against Jon to avoid being arrested for DWI, and the police fell for it. Based on the criminal complaint, it looks like they went so far as to seek a warrant for Jon's cell phone records while conducting a misdemeanor traffic investigation. I have never heard of such a thing.
"It is truly unbelievable that the police would waste this amount of resources on such a case. The only thing I can think of is that the police were targeting Jon for improper purposes. We will get to the bottom of it and make sure that this baseless case is dismissed."
For now, Jones and his team appear to be vindicated as the case is considered closed by the state of New Mexico.
Jones, 38, retired from competition this past June following a sporadic stretch of activity that saw him compete just twice since 2020. The longtime light heavyweight champion held the UFC's undisputed title at the time of his retirement and has already made overtures to return to fighting, with the hopes of being booked for the prospective UFC White House card targeted for July 4, 2026.
UFC CEO Dana White said Jones has a "billion-to-one" chance to be included on the card based on his checkered history of missed opportunities. However, Jones replied by saying he is continuing to train and that "one in a billion is exactly what it took to end up as Jon 'Bones' Jones in the first place."
