Jon Jones' lawyer issues statement on criminal charge as 'truly unbelievable' claim made about ex-UFC fighter
Jon Jones' lawyer has issued a statement on the criminal charge he faces following his UFC retirement.
Jones retired from the UFC last weekend as Dana White announced the bombshell news during the post-fight press conference following UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The former UFC heavyweight king later confirmed his decision to walk away from the sport in a statement.
Less than 24 hours later, Jones was hit with more legal woes after charges were filed against him in New Mexico.
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He was charged on June 17 for leaving the scene of an accident but the date of the alleged incident is actually listed as February 24.
Jones is due back in court for a bond arraignment on July 24.
A police officer was said to be investigating a road accident on February 21 when they discovered a women in the passenger seat of one of the vehicles, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
The woman was reportedly 'exhibiting signs of significant intoxication and lacking clothing from the waist down.'
She claimed that Jones had been the driver of the car but had fled the scene on foot.
Jones' lawyer, Christopher Dodd, has now issued a statement on his client's criminal charge, claiming it is 'truly unbelievable' that the police would waste their resources on the case.
Per Ariel Helwani, he said: "As Jon’s lawyer, I am stunned by the Albuquerque Police Department’s decision to charge him in this new case. In the thousands of cases I have handled in my career, I have never seen a case as strange and unwarranted as this one. Jon was not driving that night; he wasn’t in the car. 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 misdemeanour 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."
Jones' decision to retire from MMA comes after the UFC tried to book him against Tom Aspinall, who had held the interim title amid prolonged negotiations.
Aspinall has since been elevated to the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion following Jones' retirement.
Nasir Jabbar