Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs faced a DUI charge for an incident that occurred in 2021. The former WR was drunk and driving at 156 mph when he crashed his car into a 23-year-old girl Tina Tintor which resulted in the death of the girl and her dog.
Ruggs and his girlfriend also got injured during the crash and later it was also revealed that the former WR received therapy to recover from the traumatic incident. However, legal actions were taken against the WR whose blood alcohol level at the time of the tragic incident was 0.16, which is twice the legal limit.
How long will Henry Ruggs serve for DUI?
Henry Ruggs pleaded guilty to drunk driving charges related to the November 2021 accident. Right after the news of Ruggs being involved in the accident surfaced, the Raiders released the WR. He served under house arrest for some time.
Following the incident, Ruggs’ lawyers Chesnoff and Schonfeld negotiated a plea deal to lessen his sentence. The former WR accepted this deal, leading to the reduction of some charges. As a result, Henry Ruggs was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in state prison for felony DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
The remaining original charges against Henry Ruggs, including DUI causing substantial bodily harm or death and reckless driving charges, were dropped. He also faced a misdemeanor count of firearm possession, as a loaded gun was found during the investigation. However, the plea deal worked in favor of the former WR, resulting in the dismissal of all these charges.
Defense attorney and former DUI prosecutor Thomas Moskal, in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, mentioned, “Three to 10 (years) is on the low end of what we see in DUI death cases in that courthouse.” Typically, DUI cases involve a minimum of five years.
If Ruggs Henry wouldn’t have accepted this plea deal, he could have faced over 52 years in prison – a maximum of 40 years for DUI charges, 12 years for reckless driving, and six months for firearm possession.
Henry Ruggs expressed remorse for this tragic incident and also committed to raising awareness about the dangers of excessive speed and impaired driving.
“My actions are not a true reflection of me. I’m committed to creating greater awareness and educating others about the dangers that driving at excessive speed and driving impaired can come with.”
However, his remorse or any positive initiative can’t bring Tina Tintor back to life. Tintor’s parents have suffered a great loss because of the former WR’s negligence and fans criticized him brutally for this incident.
Henry Ruggs relocated to a Nevada prison camp
Henry Ruggs started his sentence at High Desert State Prison, the largest in the department, located 45 minutes northwest of Las Vegas. Recently, reports emerged that the former WR was transferred to Stewart Conservation Camp, a minimum-security facility in Carson City, adjacent to the Northern Nevada Correctional Center.
It’s unclear when the transfer occurred but it seems to have taken place shortly after he started his sentence. It is a dormitory-style facility housing minimum custody and community trustee inmates in five units. While it’s uncertain if Ruggs participated in this work, the majority of inmates are employed by the Nevada Division of Forestry.
Inmates at the camp engage in various activities. Some work on fire crews for the Nevada Division of Forestry. Others contribute to Silver State Industries, managing the ranch, dairy, and Wild Horse Training Program. Some are classified as community trustees, providing support services for state agencies.
Henry Ruggs’ lawyers, Chesnoff and Schonfeld, stated that specific criteria must be met for certain placements, including a camp designation.
“The Nevada Department of Corrections has specific criteria that individuals have to meet in order to receive certain placements, such as a camp designation. Henry has been a model inmate and met the required criteria, just like other similarly situated individuals. As a result, Henry and others can perform work that benefits the community and the State of Nevada.”
They described Henry Ruggs as a model inmate meeting the required criteria, allowing him and others to perform community-benefiting work. However, Ruggs’ jail sentence is still continued, and he will serve up to 10 years in jail.
