Former Raiders WR Henry Ruggs sentenced for fatal 2021 crash
Former Las Vegas Raider and Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was sentenced on Wednesday to 3 to 10 years in prison, as stipulated in a plea deal stemming his fatal car crash in 2021. Ruggs was charged with a number of crimes for a November 2021 car crash in Las Vegas that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog where he was under the influence of alcohol.
Ruggs’ plea deal with local prosecutors reduced several of the charges he was facing. He plead guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
He had a charge for DUI causing substantial harm and two counts of reckless driving dropped as part of the deal.
Ruggs is was originally accused of driving 156 miles per hour through a suburban area, miles away from the Las Vegas strip. His speedometer read 127 mph when airbags deployed. In addition, Ruggs blood alcohol level read .161, more than twice the legal limit.
If he’d gone to trial on all charges, Ruggs could’ve faced up to 50 years of prison.
Ruggs sought treatment for PTSD stemming from the crash earlier this summer
Ruggs attended in-patient treatment for 28 days for PTSD in May 2022 in Newport Beach, California, according to a filing obtained by 8NewsNow.
“Mr. Ruggs was fully engaged in the treatment process and made steady progress with his treatment team,” a letter from the Mental Health Collective’s clinical director said.
On top of the trauma from the accident, the lawyers also noted that Ruggs’ best friend died in a car crash as a teenager, leading to more trauma.
The former Raiders’ lawyers, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, filed documents asking the judge to stick with the stipulated 3-to-10-year sentence.
“[It] is evidence that Mr. Ruggs is a man of good character who made a terrible mistake,” the lawyers wrote. “In light of Mr. Ruggs’ post-offense conduct, it is clear that he has made positive changes in his life, has accepted responsibility, and has sincere remorse.”
Ruggs’ attorneys also unsuccessfully sought to toss out evidence about his blood alcohol content
“True probable cause did not exist” attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a document submitted on May 23rd to Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman. The document continues, “The mere fact of Mr. Rugg’s involvement in a fatal vehicle collision does not, in itself, give rise to probable cause to believe he was driving under the influence of alcohol,” according to the Associated Press via ESPN.
Zimmerman ruled in July that there is “more than sufficient evidence” for probable cause.
“There’s obvious time constraints in applying for a search warrant for a blood draw,” Zimmerman said. “Under the totality of the circumstances, there is more than sufficient evidence for a finding of probable cause for the issuance of the search warrant in this case.
“Nobody has mentioned so far that Mr. Ruggs was seriously injured in this accident and transported to the hospital, so he would have been unable to submit to field sobriety tests. Coupled with his refusal to answer questions, this does not result in a reward. … Motion to suppress is denied.”