Henry Ruggs Admits to Drunk Driving: Henry Ruggs III, a former wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death, a felony, and vehicular manslaughter, in connection with a November 2021 accident in which Tina Tintor, 23, and her dog were killed.
Henry Ruggs III, a former wide receiver for the Raiders, was sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison on Wednesday for his role in a 2021 accident that resulted in the death of a woman in Las Vegas.
After crashing into Tina Tintor’s SUV while under the influence of alcohol on November 2, 2021, Ruggs pleaded guilty to a felony intoxicated driving charge in May. On Wednesday, Judge Jennifer Schwartz handed down a sentence of up to 10 years in imprisonment with parole eligibility after three years, under the terms of Ruggs’ plea bargain.
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Henry Ruggs Admits to Drunk Driving
At 3:40 a.m. on April 1, 2019, authorities say Ruggs was driving his Corvette at velocities of up to 156 miles per hour when he collided with Tintor’s S.U.V., causing it to explode and killing both Tintor and her dog, Max.
Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III will plead guilty to two charges stemming from a 2021 crash that killed a 23-year-old woman and her dog.
He has agreed to serve three to 10 years in prison, if a judge accepts the plea agreement. https://t.co/Nn66I6h43k
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 2, 2023
Ruggs’ blood alcohol content was reported to be 0.16, which is twice the Nevada legal limit; he also injured his fiancée, Kiara Kilgo-Washington. The Raiders released Ruggs just hours after the accident.
Ruggs engaged into a plea agreement in May in Nevada’s Eighth Judicial District Court, pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence while causing death. The initial charges of negligent driving, DUI with bodily injury, and possession of a firearm while intoxicated were all reduced to misdemeanours, and all three felony counts were dropped by the prosecution.
Ruggs appeared in court wearing a black suit and tie, accompanied by his solicitors David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld. Ruggs, reading from a prepared statement, stated that his conduct is “not a true reflection of me.”
Ruggs stated in front of Tintor’s family members present in the tribunal, “For the past 21 months, I have endeavoured to discover the reasons for my selfish actions on that day.” “I have no excuse, and I pray that pleading guilty and accepting responsibility will allow me to begin the healing process, as well as allow everyone involved to heal.”
Before imposing the sentence, Schwartz described the case as “one of the most tragic” she had ever encountered. In addition, Tintor’s mother, Mirjana Komazec, penned a statement that was read on behalf of the family: “Every parent’s worst nightmare is to create a beautiful child only to have them taken away due to another’s negligence.”
Legal Charges on Ruggs
Ruggs could have been sentenced to more than 50 years in prison if proven guilty of the original charges. The confession agreement ended almost two years of legal wrangling between prosecutors and Ruggs’ defence team, who had questioned the legitimacy of the police’s proof proving Ruggs’ intoxication.
Ruggs denied imbibing when questioned by authorities after the incident, but they obtained a warrant to test his BAC anyway. His legal counsel stated that the police should not have obtained a warrant to interrogate him. Steven Wolfson, the district attorney for Clark County, offered the plea bargain in May after acknowledging that it was unclear whether the blood samples could be used at trial.
Wolfson said in a statement, “There was a legitimate concern that a court would have suppressed the blood draw result.” “We would have been acquitted of the felony D.U.I. We were unable to take that opportunity.”
Assistant dean of the law school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Eve Hanan stated in an interview that the police lacked physical or verbal evidence to conclude that Ruggs was intoxicated.
“Causing a fatality is a grave offence, but the question is, Was he driving extremely fast and recklessly, or was he intoxicated?” I do not believe they have it,” Hanan stated. “I believe that according to federal constitutional standards, and not just Nevada standards, they did not have sufficient evidence to stick a needle in someone’s arm, and the only evidence they had for drinking was blood.”
In a May statement, members of the Tintor family conveyed their desire for the matter to be resolved.
“No sentence will ever bring Tina and Max back, but we hope that everyone learns from this preventable incident so that no other families have to go through what we have,” the family said in a statement released through an attorney. “We appreciate the efforts made by the district attorney’s office to overcome the issues caused by the initial investigation.”
Ruggs was placed under home detention with several restrictions after posting bail of $150,000 following the collision. Before the tragedy, he had started all seven games in his second season with the Raiders.
Ruggs’ lawyers stated in a statement released after the sentence that their client accepted the verdict and promised to “return to making positive contributions to his community” once he was released from jail. There has been a spate of criminal incidents involving National Football League athletes in the past two years, including his own arrest.
Conclusion
Last week, the NFL banned New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara for three games for his involvement in a fight outside a Las Vegas nightclub on February 5, 2022, the day before the Pro Bowl.
By pleading no contest to an amended misdemeanour charge of disturbance of peace in July, Kamara was able to avoid jail time. Kamara was sentenced to 30 hours of community service, a $500 fine, and more than $100,000 in restitution for Darnell Greene’s medical expenses.
Ruggs was a promising NFL athlete who was drafted by the Raiders in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draught. The team released him shortly after the collision. The accident was a tragic reminder of the perils of driving under the influence. Even one drink can impair a driver’s ability to operate a motor vehicle securely. If you plan to consume alcoholic beverages, please designate a sober driver or contact a taxi.
