Details on plea agreement for UFC Champ Jon Jones on DWI charge

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones plead guilty on Tuesday to one charge of misdemeanor DWI in a Binghamton, New York court, stemming from his arrest in the early morning hours of May 19.

Jones' guilty plea will see him avoid any jail time from the arrest, though there are several caveats to his plea agreement that he must abide by. During Fuel TV's "UFC Tonight" broadcast on Tuesday night, more information was given on just what that plea bargain entails (transcribed by MMAMania.com):

"What's next for Jon is he has to stay out of trouble, between now and June 19. He also has to take an alcohol evaluation between now and June 19. On June 19, he is due to appear back in Binghamton City court. That is when he will receive his plea bargain. Now, his plea bargain is essentially this: He must stay out of trouble for a year. He must undergo these sort of alcohol sensitivity classes, to understand what could happen to a victim if they do drive while impaired. He must also pay any damages that his accident caused. On top of that, he must also put something in his car called an 'ignition interlock device,' which essentially means that between now and the next year, any time he drives his car, he will have to take a breathalyzer test to make sure he is not driving while impaired. He has also had his license suspended indefinitely. If he does agree to all this, and everything's good between now and June 19, he will not face any further charges. He won't go to jail, he just has to pay a very small fine, a maximum of $1,500."

Penick's Analysis: Jones will likely get his license reinstated whenever the ignition interlock device is put into his car. Ultimately, he will be getting off a bit light as it's his first offense and no one was injured in this crash, and hopefully this is something he does learn from so it doesn't happen ever again. For the average person in this situation, this would be a more trying situation monetarily, as it's not cheap to have the ignition interlock device installed and at least in some states I understand there's a monthly fee the individual must pay as well. That on top of a fine and attorney's fees can add up, but for someone of Jones' stature it's not as much of a hit. Hopefully that doesn't mean the lesson goes unlearned, and I don't think it will, but he absolutely needs to make some changes in his life to avoid this situation again.

[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13466.shtml

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