Henry Ruggs III officially pleads guilty in fatal DUI case

Former Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III pleaded guilty on Wednesday in a 2021 drunken driving crash that killed a Las Vegas woman and her dog.

Ruggs, 24, pleaded guilty in Clark County District Court to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. He faces three to 10 years in a Nevada state prison. A judge set his sentencing for Aug. 9. Ruggs will remain under house arrest with alcohol and location electronic monitoring devices until then.

On Nov. 2, 2021, according to police, Ruggs was driving drunk and reached speeds of 156 mph seconds before crashing his Corvette Stingray into Tina Tintor’s Toyota RAV4, propelling it 571 feet. A blood draw about two hours after the crash revealed his blood alcohol level was 0.161 — more than twice the legal limit in Nevada.

The next day, Ruggs was released on a $150,000 bond, cut by the Raiders and has been confined to his home with alcohol and location electronic monitoring devices for the past year and a half. A court decision last year permitted Ruggs to leave home confinement twice a week to work out three hours a day at a training center in the Las Vegas Valley. Around that same time, the court allowed him to go to California for a month for unspecified medical treatment.

Tintor, 23, and her dog Max died from thermal injuries, a coroner ruled in December 2021.

Last week, Ruggs waived his right to a preliminary hearing as a plea deal was reached in which one count of DUI causing substantial harm regarding his passenger was dropped along with two counts of reckless driving. Ruggs’ girlfriend, Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, was in the car and was also injured.

Ruggs, dressed in a dark suit, spoke softly and was asked by judge Jennifer Schwartz to speak up as he addressed the court. When asked to acknowledge details of the crash that resulted in Tintor’s death, Ruggs responded, “Yes, your honor.”

Ruggs, who played at Alabama, was the Raiders’ first draft pick after they arrived in Las Vegas. He was taken 12th overall in 2020 and played 20 games for the franchise.