GRAVES COUNTY, KENTUCKY — A Tennessee man who brake-checked a semi-truck hauling steel beams on Interstate 69, caused a rear-end collision that injured his own passenger, and then told police the truck driver had intentionally rammed him is now the subject of an arrest warrant after dashcam footage proved he lied — and he has failed to turn himself in despite being aware the warrant exists.
Graves County Sheriff’s Deputies responded around 5 p.m. on October 5 to a collision between a passenger car and a semi at approximately mile marker 20 on southbound I-69. Both drivers had called 911.
Matthew Jones, 44, of Martin, Tennessee, told deputies that semi driver William Cox, 49, of Ulysses, Kentucky, had cut him off and then intentionally rammed his 2021 Nissan Rogue from behind. Jones’ passenger, Amy Jones, 44, was transported by ambulance to Jackson Purchase Medical Center in Mayfield with non-life-threatening injuries.
Cox told a different story. He said Jones had been flashing obscene gestures at him, then pulled in front of the semi and slammed on his brakes — a maneuver commonly known as brake-checking — causing the rear-end collision. The semi was hauling 39,000 pounds of steel beams for a combined vehicle weight of approximately 80,000 pounds.
Deputies reviewed the dashcam footage from Cox’s truck. It confirmed Jones’ account was false and showed Jones had intentionally caused the collision by braking directly in front of the loaded semi. Investigators determined the incident was the result of road rage by Jones.
A warrant was issued charging Jones with reckless driving, wanton endangerment in the first degree, failure to wear a seatbelt, and falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement. Jones has been notified of the warrant but has not turned himself in.
“Road rage is a real thing, that is reported to law enforcement regularly. When experiencing this, we would suggest to think about your actions and the consequences that could follow,” said Graves County Sheriff Hayden.
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