Former Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III had his felony DUI case delayed once again, ESPN reported Monday. The news comes after 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.
This is the sixth time that Ruggs’ preliminary hearing, originally scheduled for Dec. 16 of 2021, has been delayed. Additionally, Letizia is the fourth judge to make a decision on the case. She rescheduled Ruggs’ preliminary hearing for May 4 last week.
For that to happen, however, a decision on a judge needs to be made.
Judge Joe Bonaventure took over the case at the beginning of 2023. He was the first judge to make a ruling regarding Ruggs when he presided over the wide receiver’s first court appearance after his arrest, set his bail and dictated the terms for his release from jail. However, he recused himself on Feb. 21, citing comments he made about the case while running for re-election.
Rugg’s attorneys asked for Letizia to rescind Bonaventure’s disqualification order, which could send the case back to a DUI specialty court. Letizia denied the motion for lack of jurisdiction because her court is not superior to Bonaventure’s.
More details on Henry Ruggs’ DUI case
Ruggs is accused of killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog in a fatal crash on Nov. 2, 2021. He has been released on a $150,000 bond and is currently on house arrest.
According to police, Ruggs was traveling at 156 miles per hour before the crash and 127 miles per hour upon impact with Tintor’s vehicle. He had a blood-alcohol level of 0.161, twice the legal limit.
The Raiders released Ruggs, who was in his second NFL season, the same day the wreck occurred. He faces up to 50 years in prison if he is convicted.
