Dubai: UFC light heavyweight champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, who on was arrested last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on DUI charges, has escaped a jail sentence by entering a guilty plea bargain and accepting the agreed-upon sentencing charges.
Jones was confronted by police officers at 1 am close to where he lives and trains, and subsequently slapped with charges ranging from being ‘intoxicated, negligent use’ of a deadly weapon and no proof of insurance and possession of an open container of alcohol.
However, the latter three charges have been dropped as part of the plea deal, which has not yet been approved by a judge.
Jones, who defeated Mexican-American Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February, must respond to the Bernalillo County’s Community Custody Programme (CCP) within 90 days.
As part of the plea deal, Jones, who will wear an ankle bracelet and be on suspended probation for one year, must serve 96 consecutive hours in a CCP programme which is similar to house arrest and complete 48 hours of community service.
Other terms include the 32-year-old MMA fighter paying a $500 fine and taking part in a 90-day outpatient treatment programme. The latter will be conducted via video conferencing due to the community restriction forced by the coronavirus pandemic.
“His attorney and Mr. Jones have been made aware that if he fails to do this, the state will seek to impose the balance of any jail time without regard for any exceptional circumstances,” the Bernalillo County district attorney’s office communicated.
Meanwhile, Jones, whose fighting-career will now have to take a backseat for an indefinite period of time, broke his silence about the incident.
“While we all work to understand and cope with stress and uncertainties surrounding the current state of our world, I want to express how truly disappointed I am that I have become the source of a negative headline again, especially during these trying times,” Jones said. “I am disappointed for letting down the people I care about the most, my family, friends and my fans.
“I accept full responsibility for my actions and I know that I have some personal work to do to which involves the unhealthy relationship I have with alcohol,” he was quoted saying on cbssports.com.
“I have dedicated so much time and energy to improve my community and I will not allow this personal setback to hinder my work within the community when we need it most.
“I truly appreciate the support I have received from the community of Albuquerque and all my fans around the world. I very much look forward to putting this behind me,” he continued.
“Thanks you all for your continued love and support and please take care of yourselves.”
