A Las Vegas judge ruled the blood alcohol tests administered to Henry Ruggs are admissible as evidence in his case, according to Anthony Olivieri of ESPN.com. Ruggs’ attorney argued no probable cause existed for the tests, which occurred hours after the former Raiders wide receiver was involved in a car accident that killed a woman and her dog.
The Raiders waived Ruggs not long after he was charged with two felonies — DUI resulting in death and reckless driving. After being accused of driving 156 mph, while impaired, and causing a crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor, Ruggs faces prison time. His preliminary hearing has been rescheduled four times and is currently set for Sept. 7.
Ruggs, 23, refused to take a field sobriety test while on the scene, according to a police report. He was later hospitalized for injuries sustained in the accident. His blood alcohol content, measured two hours after the crash, registered 0.16 — twice the Nevada legal limit. Ruggs’ lawyer argued the receiver’s involvement in the high-speed crash did not give police officers sufficient grounds to test his blood alcohol content, per Olivieri.
“There’s obvious time constraints in applying for a search warrant for a blood draw,” Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman said. “Under the totality of the circumstances, there is more than sufficient evidence for a finding of probable cause for the issuance of the search warrant in this case. Nobody has mentioned so far that Mr. Ruggs was seriously injured in this accident and transported to the hospital, so he would have been unable to submit to field sobriety tests. Coupled with his refusal to answer questions, this does not result in a reward.”
The Clark County coroner determined Tintor and her dog burned to death in the November 2021 crash, Olivieri and ESPN colleague Elizabeth Merrill write in an expansive piece. Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson indicated that, in over 40 years in the justice system, he could not recall another criminal case that involved a 156-mph speed.
Ruggs secured permission in March to leave home confinement twice per week. While the two-year Raider was injured in the accident, he has been training at a Las Vegas-area facility geared toward pro-level athletes this year, according to ESPN. He faces a minimum of two years in prison, with the maximum sentence running to 50 years.
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