Why has Henry Ruggs III’s preliminary hearing been delayed? Former Raiders WR’s felony DUI case hits roadblock
Henry Ruggs III's preliminary hearing has been delayed. The former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver is yet to stand trial for the fatal crash he allegedly caused while driving drunk and at 156 miles per hour.
The trial won't be coming soon, though, because of a judge issue. There's been a struggle to find a judge to preside over the case. The case has been pending since 2021, when the accident occurred and Ruggs may have caused the death of a woman.
The judge that would be presiding over the case isn't sure whether or not she or another judge should take the case. According to ESPN, she told Ruggs and his lawyers:
"Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia told Ruggs and his attorneys Monday that she lacks the authority to decide whether she or another judge should preside over the hearing to decide if there is enough evidence to warrant that Ruggs stand trial on charges of reckless driving and driving under the influence causing death."
Additionally, a judge said in January that the case should be sent to the Las Vegas DUI specialty court. However, the judge presiding over those cases recused himself because he claimed he spoke about the Ruggs case in his 2022 re-election campaign, thus creating a potential conflict of interest.
This is one of the most high-profile cases involving an athlete in recent memory, but it is being bogged down by an inability to find a judge to preside over it.
Henry Ruggs III case recap
Back in 2021, Henry Ruggs had a promising NFL future, but he made one crucial mistake that cost him that future and robbed a woman and her dog of their lives.
Prosecutors in the case plan to present evidence that Ruggs was drunk and had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. They also plan to prove that the wide receiver was driving over 150 miles per hour before crashing and killing Tina Tintor and her dog.
Ruggs was quickly released by the Raiders after the incident and has not even sniffed the NFL since.
He has also struggled to get the trial underway and find out what punishment awaits him.