How Many Times Has Jon Jones Been Arrested?
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has gone through his fair share of legal troubles throughout his storied MMA career. That begs the question, how many times has Jones been arrested? Well, the short answer is five arrests. These incidents stem from DWI, DUI, domestic violence and more.
Let’s take a look at what led to his copious legal problems.
May 2012 — Suspicion of DUI
Jon Jones’ first arrest came back on May 19, 2012, when he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. This story is relatively tame, at least in comparison to Jones’ later incidents.
Jones was involved in a one-car accident in Binghamton, New York. It was reported the UFC star crashed his Bentley into a pole leading to his arrest. Jones only suffered minor injuries and was the only individual involved.
After this incident, Jones plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. He was eventually sentenced to a $1,000 fine, was forced to install ignition locks on his vehicles, attend a victim impact panel, and had his license suspended for six months.
April 2015 — Leaving the Scene of an Accident
Arguably Jones’ largest and most notable legal struggle came in a hit-and-run incident on April 26, 2015.
According to Sherdog, the Albuquerque Police Department arrest warrant stated that Jones ran a red light in a rented vehicle and crashed into a vehicle that was being driven by a pregnant woman. Jones then reportedly left the scene of the crime before briefly returning to grab a handful of cash. Once he had the cash, he left the scene permanently. The woman suffered a broken arm in the accident. Police later found drug paraphernalia in the vehicle that Jones was driving.
Jones was originally charged with a felony for leaving the scene of a crime. The charge was classified as a felony because the injury sustained by the victim was of great bodily harm.
Ultimately, Jones plead guilty to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident; however, he was able to avoid jail time after being given a conditional discharge. Jones was punished with 18 months probation and community service.
March 2016 — Probation Violation
Jones’ next arrest was a result of the previous hit-and-run incident after he violated probation.
Jones was pulled over for allegedly drag racing on March 24, 2016, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the traffic stop, Jones was given citations for drag racing, exhibition driving, weaving, failing to properly display his license plate, and modifying his exhaust pipe.
Jones was arrested for probation violation five days later.
This incident gained a lot of social media recognition after the bodycam footage of the traffic stop was released to the public. In this footage, Jones vigorously disputed the claim that the was drag racing.
Jones accepted a plea deal that saw three of his five charges dropped. He plead guilty to unlawful use of modification of exhaust systems and improper display of a registration plate. The charges related to drag racing, weaving, and exhibition driving were all dropped.
Jones was also forced to attend aggressive driving school, perform community service, and received a $143 fine.
March 2020 — DWI, Negligent Use of a Firearm, Driving Without Proof of Insurance, and Possession of an Open Container
Jon Jones was able to stay out of trouble for several years before getting into more legal trouble involving a vehicle.
On March 26, 2020, KOAT, a local news station in Albuquerque, reported that officers responded to gunshots. Authorities eventually found Jones inside a running vehicle. The former champion admitted to driving before talking to officers. After noticing signs of intoxication, the officers administered a Breathalyzer. In the test, Jones blew over twice the legal limit. After being arrested for driving under the influence, officers found a handgun and a half-empty bottle of Recuerdo in the Jones’ vehicle.
At the time of arrest, Jones was charged with DWI, negligent use of a deadly weapon, possession of an open container of alcohol, and driving without proof of insurance. Once again, Jones took a plea deal that saw most of the charges dropped. He plead guilty to DWI while the remainder of the charges were dropped.
The deal also resulted in Jones needing to serve time in a Community Custody Program, complete a treatment program, serve community service, and pay a $500 fine.
September 2021 — Misdemeanor Battery Domestic Violence and Injury or Tampering with a Police Vehicle
Jon Jones’ most recent, and hopefully final, arrest came on Sept. 24, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada just hours after his fight with first Alexander Gustaffson was inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, this incident was the first domestic violence incident that Jones was involved in. TMZ reported that a hotel security guard called the police because of a potential domestic violence situation.
It is reported that Jones’ fiancée was seeking help from the guard, but she refused to return from her hotel room. Despite Jones’ fiancée claiming that Jones had not become physical with her, the guard told police she was bleeding from the nose and lip. The pair’s three daughters were also present in the hotel at the time of the incident.
When police arrived at the hotel, they questioned Jones. Bodycam footage showed he appeared to be intoxicated and was acting emotionally before eventually headbutting a cop car.
Jones was eventually arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and a felony for tampering with a police vehicle.
Jones yet again took another plea deal that greatly lessened the charges. He plead no contest to a misdemeanor of destroying properly valued between $25-$250 while the domestic violence charge was dropped.
Jones was ordered to pay $750 in restitution to the police department and attend anger management counseling.
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