Latest news with #ChristopherDodd
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Bodycam video shows woman identify Jon Jones as man threatening cops on phone after crash
Albuquerque Police bodycam video sheds light on the immediate aftermath of former UFC champion Jon Jones' latest run-in with the law. Jones is up against a criminal summons accusing him of fleeing the scene of an accident and leaving a half-naked intoxicated woman behind, then making "allusions to violence" over the phone toward responding officers. The woman, who said she drank alcohol at Jones' house and took mushrooms there, said Jones was the driver of the vehicle, a claim Jones' attorney, Christopher Dodd, vehemently denies. Jones is scheduled for a bond arraignment July 24. The incident occured Feb. 21. In the police video, which was released in portions to the Albuquerque Journal, the woman, sitting in the passneger seat, tells a police safety aide (PSA) that "Jon Jones the fighter" was driving and left the crash site. At one point, she hands the PSA her phone and says "pleae talk to him." The man's voice on the phone, which sounds similar to Jones but never confirms his identity, asks the PSA to identify himself. The PSA again asks the voice for his name. The woman then tells the PSA "that's Jon Jones." The voice sounds irritated by the conversation, brings up his brothers, and says "some of them are bored enough to kill you, to kill YOU." The PSA acknowledges those words as a threat, and the voice responds: "Guess what? You won't be the first guy this year that I threaten, swear to God. You'd be the second one." The voice continues, "My brothers, they kill people for way less. If something happens to me, dude, she's (the woman in the car) flat and dead." The man on the other end of the call never identifies himself as Jones after being asked directly if he is the former UFC champion, who has called Albuquerque home for many years. Jones, who turns 38 next month, retired from MMA and relinquished the heavyweight championship, which now belongs to Tom Aspinall, who had been interim champ since Nov. 11, 2023. For months, Jones didn't appear interested in a title-unification bout against Aspinall. Now the fight is officially off the table as Jones rides off into the sunset of his latest legal battle. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Did Jon Jones threaten cops after crash? Watch police video
National Post
24-06-2025
- National Post
UFC great Jon Jones rocked with another criminal charge after sudden retirement
Jon Jones may have been one of the best fighters to ever step inside the octagon, but it's outside of it where the real trouble starts. Article content The controversial UFC heavyweight champion announced his abrupt retirement this past weekend before a report surfaced that he was facing a criminal charge relating to a traffic stop in Albuquerque, N.M., earlier this year. Article content The Albuquerque Journal reported on Saturday that Jones has a criminal summons accusing the 37-year-old of a misdemeanour charge of leaving the scene of an accident in February. Article content Jones has been called to appear for a bond arraignment on July 24. Article content On Monday, Jones' lawyer, Christopher Dodd, fired back at the local police, calling the charge 'strange and unwarranted.' Article content 'As Jon's lawyer,' Dodd told TMZ, '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.' Article content In the court document, police allege that while investigating a traffic incident they discovered a woman in the passenger seat of a car who had been 'exhibiting signs of significant intoxication and lacking clothing from the waist down.' Article content When questioned, the woman allegedly told officers that Jones was the driver of the vehicle, but had left on foot following the crash. Article content Article content Article content 'Jon was not driving that night, he wasn't in the car,' Dodd told the outlet. 'It appears that an intoxicated woman used a false allegation against Jon to avoid being arrested for DWI and the police fell for it. Article content Article content 'Based on the criminal complaint, it looks like they went so far as to seek a warrant for Jon's cellphone records while conducting a misdemeanour traffic investigation. I have never heard of such a thing.' Article content This is far from Jones' first brush with the law. Article content In 2015, Jones pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident after an incident in which he was alleged to have run a red light, crashing his rental car in a collision involving two other vehicles. Jones allegedly fled the scene on foot, leaving behind an injured pregnant woman in another vehicle. Article content In 2021, Jones was charged with domestic battery – which was later dropped — and tampering with a police vehicle after an alleged incident with his fiancee in Las Vegas.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Yahoo
Jon Jones' attorney issues statement on fighter's latest legal woes, claims 'police fell' for 'false allegation'
Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones is pushing back against his latest run-in with the law. In a statement issued Monday to Uncrowned, Jones' attorney Christopher Dodd staunchly denied Jones' involvement in a Feb. 21 incident that landed the now-retired UFC Hall of Famer a misdemeanor charge from Albuquerque police for leaving the scene of a traffic accident. Dodd claimed the individual involved "used a false allegation against Jon to avoid being arrested for DWI, and the police fell for it." Advertisement Dodd's full statement can be read below. 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 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. In a police report obtained by Uncrowned, Jones' name arose when a woman was found in the passenger seat of a car following a traffic accident in Albuquerque on Feb. 21 while "exhibiting signs of significant intoxication and lacking clothing from the waste down." The woman told police that Jones was the driver of the car and fled the scene on foot. She then called Jones and a police service aide spoke to the man on the other line, believed to be Jones. That man allegedly "appeared to be heavily intoxicated and made statements implying his capacity to employ lethal force through third parties" against the aide. Advertisement In response to the perceived threat, the aide stated they called for backup and a police officer spoke to the man on the phone, who allegedly made similar "allusions to violence." The man never answered direct questions about whether he was actually Jones. According to the police report, the woman told police that she arrived at Jones' residence at 11:30 p.m. and initially "expressed reservations about consuming alcohol with Mr. Jones, citing previous incidents where she alleged he forced her to drive home while intoxicated. She stated that she received assurances that this would not be the case this time, and subsequently consumed alcohol and ingested psilocybin mushrooms" at Jones' house. Per the police report, following "a restroom incident requiring a change of clothing," the woman then "removed her pants with the intention of having Mr. Jones drive her home to retrieve clothing." Her next recollection was being at the scene of the traffic accident and the last person she remembered driving the car was Jones. Jones also reportedly called the woman's phone 13 times and texted her "numerous times" from the time after the crash to the following morning. Jones has been ordered to appear in court July 24 for a bond arraignment. A longtime former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jones, 38, vacated his UFC heavyweight title on Saturday by announcing his retirement from MMA, finally ending a drawn-out saga that has kept British heavyweight Tom Aspinall stuck in an interim champion role for the past 19 months. Advertisement Infamously, Jones' first reign as UFC light heavyweight champion ended in 2015 due to another hit-and-run accident that injured a pregnant woman. In that situation, which is only one among a laundry list of legal issues Jones has found himself mired in over the years, the former champ fled the scene on foot following the crash, only to return, grab cash from inside the vehicle, then flee again. Jones appeared to comment on his latest run-in with the law late Saturday night on social media, writing: "Keep in mind, even the media can get it wrong sometimes if they don't have all the facts. Don't believe everything you read online."
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Jon Jones' attorney rips cops for charging UFC great over 'intoxicated half-naked' woman's claims
An attorney for UFC legend Jon Jones has accused Albuquerque, New Mexico police of improperly charging his client for leaving the scene of an accident. 'It is truly unbelievable that the police would waste this amount of resources on such a case attorney Christopher Dodd told TMZ. '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.' The misdemeanor charge capped an eventful week for Jones, who left the sport on Saturday. During an explosive press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, UFC chief Dana White announced Jones was retiring from the sport. Jones, considered among the greatest fighters in UFC history, later confirmed the news in a statement. Within a day, it emerged that the 37-year-old was facing a misdemeanor charge of fleeing the scene of an accident. A criminal summons accusing Jones of the charge was filed in Albuquerque Metropolitan Court Tuesday. Jones has been called to appear in court on July 24 for a bond arraignment. A police officer was said to be investigating a road accident on February 21 when they discovered a woman in the passenger seat of one of the vehicles, according to a police report obtained by The woman was reportedly 'exhibiting signs of significant intoxication and lacking clothing from the waist down.' But according to Dodd, the police were foolish to believe the woman's claim that Jones had been driving the car before fleeing on foot. 'As Jon's lawyer,' Dodd told us, '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,' Dodd continued. '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.' One police service aide (PSA) is said to have spoken to a man involved with the crash via telephone. Although that person remains unidentified, he 'appeared to be heavily intoxicated and made statements implying his capacity to employ lethal force through third parties,' according to the PSA. Jones was later interviewed in person, during which he allegedly claimed that the woman had left his home intoxicated earlier in the day. He said that she had called him after getting into the crash, and he claimed the person she handed the phone to 'immediately opened the conversations with unprofessional language, which led him to doubt the legitimacy of the individual's claim.' Meanwhile, the woman told police that she had arrived at Jones' house at around 11:30pm on February 20. She admitted that she drank alcohol and consumed mushrooms at the property. She said she recalled needing to change her clothes after a 'restroom incident' and removed her pants with the intention of having Jones drive her home to collect a change of attire. However, her memory was hazy as she claimed that 'her next recollection was being at the scene of a traffic accident' and that the last person she remembered driving the car was Jones. Jones is said to have called the woman's phone a total of 13 times from around the time of the accident to the following morning. It is unclear why the charge was filed four months after the February incident. There is also no indication that the charge is related to Jones's decision to retire this week.
