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Former Las Vegas Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III to plead guilty in fatal DUI crash

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Suzanne Halliburton | Last updated 5/2/23

Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs will plead guilty to charges stemming from a car crash that killed a young woman and her dog.

Fox 5 in Las Vegas reported the news, which was confirmed by Ruggs’ lawyer. The car wreck occurred in November 2021.

According to the plea deal, Ruggs waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He agreed to plead guilty to one count of Driving Under the Influence resulting in death. He also will plead guilty to one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

He’ll serve between three and 10 years in a Nevada state prison. Ruggs’ next court date is May 10. That’s when he’ll enter his guilty pleas to the two charges. Because he agreed to plead guilty, prosecutors dropped one count of DUI causing substantial harm and two counts of reckless driving. The DUI that prosecutors dropped concerned injuries that the passenger in his car sustained. If he’d gone to trial on all charges, Henry Ruggs could’ve faced up to 50 years of prison.

JUST IN: Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs will plead guilty in a fatal Las Vegas DUI crash, his lawyers confirmed to FOX5 Tuesday morning.https://t.co/dTrSsWJZja
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) May 2, 2023

Henry Ruggs was driving at high rate of speed when he hit woman’s Toyota

The accident happened early on Nov. 2, 2021. Police say that Ruggs, who was driving his Corvette Stingray, hit a Toyota RAV4. Ruggs hit speeds as high as 156 mph before he collided with the Toyota. The impact of his hit knocked the Toyota 571 feet. Then it burst into flames. Tina Tintor, who was driving the truck, and her dog, Max, burned to death.

Henry Ruggs refused to take a field sobriety test at the scene. However, a blood draw about two hours later indicated his blood-alcohol level was 0.16. That’s twice the legal level in Nevada. The Raiders selected Ruggs, a former Alabama star, in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. But they released him immediately after the accident.

A judge released Ruggs on $150,000 bond. Since then, he was under house arrest, with the court monitoring his location and whether he was drinking alcohol. The court did allow him out of his home twice a week for three hours at a time.

He played parts of two seasons with the Raiders. His rookie year, Ruggs caught 26 passes for 452 yards and two scores. He played in seven games in 2021, posting 24 receptions for 469 yards, and two touchdowns.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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