UFC star Jon Jones under investigation for allegedly threatening to kill drug testers
According to an incident report from the Albuquerque Police Department, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been charged with assault and interference with communications after he allegedly made a death threat against two drug testing officers.
According to the report, on the morning of April 5, police received a call from Crystal Martinez, who does drug tests on behalf of Drug Free Sport International, the organization in charge of obtaining athlete samples for the UFC's anti-doping initiative.
Martinez reported to the police that on March 30, late in the afternoon, she and a coworker—named as Jerome Romero in the report—went to Jones's house to take a urine sample from the UFC champion.
Martinez claimed that although Jones was initially agreeable, he later showed signs of agitation when he was told he couldn't urinate and that he could instead submit a blood test. Following Martinez's "tense and puffed up" statement, Jones is claimed to have asked the agents if they had any money because he intended to sue them. He then allegedly took Martinez's phone off the table and recorded a video of the agents while reiterating his threat to sue.
Martinez added that Jones then questioned her and Romero about why anti-doping control agents showed up at his residence so early, claiming that visitors "end up dead." This is all documented in the incident report.
Martinez told officers that she was afraid at that moment and wanted to terminate the test, but feared Jones "might hit her" because the UFC penalizes athletes who do not cooperate with drug testing protocols.
Martinez said Jones did eventually agree to try a urine test again and placed Martinez’s phone down before doing so. Martinez then used her phone to text her boss to let him know that Jones was threatening her and that she could not call him for fear that Jones may "attack her" if he saw her on a phone call.
Martinez also told police that she believed Jones may have been intoxicated because she "smelled the odour of an alcoholic beverage coming from him."
After obtaining the urine sample, Martinez and Romero departed, and Martinez told her supervisor that she intended to file a police report in addition to an internal report.
Martinez informed authorities that she intended to press charges, and the report states that Jones has received a summons from the police department.
Jones posted a message on his Instagram account on Saturday afternoon, expressing his frustration with the police' "unprofessionalism" but also noting that the matter "ended friendly and amicably." He included home surveillance footage with the statement, which captures him giving Martinez and Romero a high five and fist bump as they head out.
UFC and Drug Free Sport International have not responded to a request for comment at this time, while a representative for Jones referred Sportsnet to the statement that he made on his Instagram page.
Jones has had a variety of legal issues in the past. Jones pleaded guilty to charges of driving while intoxicated on two separate occasions in 2012 and 2020.
Jones also pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident following a hit-and-run incident in 2015. In 2019, Jones pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct charges stemming from an incident at a strip club in Albuquerque.
Jones answered the allegations on social media along with security camera footage he claims shows the drug-testing agents leaving his house after collecting the sample.
“I want to address reports about me allegedly threatening a drug tester’s life and taking a phone,” Jones wrote on Instagram. “I want to clarify that there is a video showing both drug testers leaving my home after the testing session, where we exchanged a high five and a hug. Although I was frustrated with the unprofessionalism and used profanity out of frustration it ended friendly and amicably, nothing threatening at all. I was actually celebrating a friend’s birthday party at my home, and I believe it’s perfectly normal to celebrate in the comfort of my own home.
“I must say, this particular tester behaved quite unprofessionally and even breached standard protocol along with HIPAA laws. Throughout my 20 years of being subjected to drug tests, I have never encountered such an inciden with a DCO officer before.”
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