Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was sentenced to three-to-10 years in prison Wednesday for a 2021 high-speed car crash that killed motorist Tina Tintor.
Ruggs pleaded guilty in May to one count of driving under the influence resulting in death. The time Ruggs has spent on house arrest does not contribute to his sentence minimum of three years, after which he will be eligible for parole.
He will not serve more than 10 years in prison.
At around 3:40 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2021, Ruggs was driving home in a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette from an evening at a Top Golf location in Las Vegas with a blood alcohol content of .16, twice the .08 legal limit.
Before the crash, according to his car’s computerized controls, Ruggs had been driving at speeds of up to 156 mph. He would crash into the rear of Tintor’s Toyota RAV-4 while still driving at 127 mph.
The speed limit in the stretch of road where the crash occurred is 45 mph.
Tintor’s car went up in flames after the collision, and she and her dog Max would die as a result. Kiara Kilgo-Washington, Ruggs’ girlfriend and the mother of his daughter, was a passenger in the Corvette and also was injured in the incident.
At his sentencing hearing Wednesday, Ruggs apologized to Tintor’s family.
“To the parents and family of Ms. Tintor, I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering my actions the morning of Nov. 2, 2021 have caused you, your family and those who knew Ms. Tina and Max. I let my family, my teammates and those who believed in me down with my actions and hurt so many,” Ruggs said at the hearing, according to TMZ.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.