Henry Rugs III Former Raiders Receiver Might Serve 10 Years In Prison After Accepting Plea Deal
Driving 156 mph in November 2021, Ruggs killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor after crashing into her car
Ex-Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III has officially pleaded guilty in the fatal DUI crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor after accepting a plea deal that could land him up to 10 years in prison.
Ruggs, 24, was in Clark County (Nevada) District Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death as well as one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, per Yahoo Sports.
He had a preliminary hearing on May 2 in which his attorney explained that he would be pleading guilty to the charges stemming from the Nov. 2, 2021, crash.
“This resolution is conditioned upon the court accepting the stipulations of the parties,” defense attorney David Chesnoff said at the time of the hearing via the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“In the event that the court does not accept the stipulations, Mr. Ruggs will be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea, proceed to trial and litigate all issues.”
Ruggs initially faced up to 50 years in prison, but his plea deal drops that to between three and 10 years.
Until his sentencing on Aug. 9, Ruggs will remain under house arrest, where ESPN reports he will be monitored with electronic devices that detect location and alcohol.
Ruggs, who was the Raiders’ first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, was driving 156 mph in his Corvette, police say, when he crashed into Tintor’s Toyota RAV4. Her gas tank ruptured due to the crash, and it resulted in her death as well as the death of her golden retriever, Max.
When taken to the hospital for his own injuries, Ruggs’ blood-alcohol content measured at 0.161, which is twice the legal limit of Nevada.
Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, who was also in Ruggs’ Corvette at the time of the crash, suffered injuries as well.
Tintor’s family members, including her mother and brother, were present for the court session on Wednesday.
“Today, like every day, we remember Tina and Max, and how they were taken from us that fateful night,” attorney Farhan R. Naqvi said in a statement prepared by the Tintor family via Yahoo Sports. “No sentence will ever bring Tina and Max back, but we hope that everyone learns from this preventable incident so that no other families suffer like we do.”
