Freceiver ormer Raiders wide Henry Ruggs III got a harsh conversation from a Las Vegas judge but was allowed to stay at home arrest with constant alcohol control on one ankle and Gps monitor on the other hand, after a fatal accident in which he is accused of drunk driving.
Justice of the Peace Susan Baukum told Ruggs and his lawyers that she was “comfortable with a higher level of monitoring” after hearing on November 13 about the delay in Raggs’ remote breath alcohol test using a handheld device.
“But if there are any misses, if there are any problems, if alcohol is found in your system, you should know that it will be problematic for this court in the future,” she said.
Lawyers David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said their client still passed the “precautionary” test on November 13 and complied with the three-hour requirement, submitting a negative result.
“Henry did the right thing by doing the tests in the window,” Chesnoff said as he stood with Ruggs in front of the judge. “He shouldn’t be punished because his case gets so much attention.”
Since his release from prison on November 3 on bail of $ 150,000, Ruggs has passed more than 77 breath alcohol tests, his lawyer told the judge.
Ruggs’ lawyers also provided testimony from two people who said they were with Ruggs when he missed the call on November 13 and did not hear the signal from the monitor.
Las Vegas police still have Ruggs’ cell phone and have now provided the new phone number to Nevada’s SCRAM monitoring system, Chesnoff said.
The handheld device emitted a beep as Ruggs stood in front of the judge, demanding that Ruggs perform a breath test after the court hearing.
Police and prosecutors say Ruggs, 22, and girlfriend Kiara Jenai Kilgo-Washington were injured in a pre-dawn crash on November 2 when Ruggs’ Chevrolet Corvette hit the rear end of a Toyota Rav4 on fire.
23-year-old Tina Tintor died in a Toyota car.
Chesnoff did not elaborate on Ruggs’ injuries, but told the judge that the plaster cast from the leg, which initially prevented the use of the ankle monitor, had been removed.
Chesnoff and Schonfeld are separately fighting to block prosecutors from accessing Ruggs’ medical records, and attorney Kilgo-Washington has taken a similar effort on her behalf. A hearing on this matter is scheduled for December 8th.
Prosecutors say Ruggs had a 0.16% blood alcohol level – double the legal limit for drivers in Nevada – and his car hit 156 mph (251 km / h) before the crash.
On December 16, Ruggs is due to hold a hearing on two felonies related to driving under the influence of charges, each of which carries a mandatory two to 20 year imprisonment if convicted, plus a reckless driving felony and gun-related offense. Police say they found a loaded pistol in his wrecked sports car.
The Raiders released the Ruggs a few hours after the crash.
The team made Ruggs their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft from Alabama, and he has become a rising star for the Raiders this season.