Henry Ruggs III, a former wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders football team, pleaded guilty to causing a fatal crash in 2021, which claimed the lives of Tina Tintor, 23, and her dog Max.
Ruggs was accompanied by his girlfriend, Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, in the car during the accident. He was driving under the influence and at the shocking speed of 156 mph when he crashed into Tintor’s Rav4.
As per the plea deal, Ruggs could be sentenced to a prison term ranging from three to 10 years, with his sentencing set for August 9.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson emphasized that the plea agreement met three important objectives for his office, one of which included preventing Ruggs from appealing his conviction and sentence.
Though initially facing up to 50 years behind bars, Ruggs’ plea deal aimed to expedite the healing process for Tintor’s family, according to his attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld. Ruggs will continue to be under house arrest, equipped with alcohol and location monitoring devices, until his sentencing.
Ruggs’ attorneys argued that there was insufficient probable cause for the judge to accept the blood-alcohol test results, as a field sobriety test was not conducted at the crash site, but later at the hospital. This made it challenging to prove he was intoxicated at the exact time of the crash.
The plea agreement led to the dismissal of other charges against Ruggs, such as felony reckless driving, DUI causing substantial injury to Kilgo-Washington, and misdemeanor gun possession.
Tintor’s family released a statement noting that no punishment could ever bring back Tina and Max. They expressed hope that this avoidable incident would serve as a lesson to the public, preventing other families from experiencing similar devastation.
