Evidence in Henry Ruggs deadly Las Vegas DUI case includes receipt for 20 drinks
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained in the case against former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs include a $450 receipt from Topgolf for 20 drinks for three or four people in the hours before the deadly crash.
Ruggs, 24, is accused of driving 156 mph under the influence and crashing into a car killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog in November 2021. Prosecutors said Ruggs’ blood alcohol level was 0.16, which is twice the legal limit.
Ruggs waived his right to a preliminary hearing in court Tuesday alongside his attorneys. They told the court the former Raiders player will enter a plea to lesser charges during a court hearing on Wednesday, May 10.
The deal includes Ruggs pleading plead guilty to one count of felony DUI causing death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. Under the deal, Ruggs will face 3-10 years in prison.
In the hours before the crash, Ruggs, his girlfriend, Kiara Kilgo-Washington, and at least one other played, ate and drank at Topgolf near the Las Vegas Strip and then went to a friend’s house, Kilgo-Washington told police.
“[She] ‘stated that [she and Mr. Ruggs] had been out at Topgolf with friends before going to another friend’s house,” documents said. “She stated she ordered two for herself but did not know how many, if any drinks, Ruggs had consumed.”
A Topgolf receipt the 8 News Now Investigators obtained shows someone paid $450 for at least 20 drinks, food and gameplay for four people. The receipt also includes an $8 gratuity. It was unclear who in the group paid the tab.
A Topgolf receipt the 8 News Now Investigators obtained shows someone paid $450 for 20 drinks, food and gameplay for four people, including Henry Ruggsm his girlfriend and another person. (KLAS)
The first drink was ordered at 9:28 p.m. The last drink was ordered at 11:22 p.m., documents said. The crash was reported at 3:39 a.m. on Rainbow Boulevard near Spring Valley Parkway. In between Ruggs, Kilgo-Washington and several others were at a house playing pool and poker, Kilgo-Washington said.
During an interview with police, Kilgo-Washington said she, Ruggs and another person were at Topgolf. It was unclear if a fourth person was present due to the receipt’s indication of four guests. Kilgo-Washington said could not remember what time she and Ruggs left the friend’s house before driving home.
Ruggs, then 22, refused to submit to an evidentiary blood test after this arrest, a police report obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators said. A judge later approved a warrant for a blood draw at University Medical Center.
Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is taken out of the courtroom in a wheelchair after making an initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
When police went to speak with Ruggs at UMC, he told them to “get him out of here,” the report said. He also told the investigating officer he did not remember what happened, responding “no” several times.
Ruggs also told an officer he was “on his way home from home,” prosecutors said.
“When I asked Ruggs to clarify, he just repeated, ‘home, home,’ and then began mumbling,” the officer wrote in a report, noting his speech was slurred and he mumbled. The officer described his speech as “not understandable” and his attitude as “unresponsive.”
Tina Tintor and her dog, Max. (Tintor family)
Ruggs was initially charged with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, and a misdemeanor count of possession of a firearm while under the influence. The substantial bodily harm charge was for injuries police said Kilgo-Washington sustained in the crash.
“This is the first step toward a fair resolution to this matter and we look forward to closure for all the parties involved,” Ruggs’ attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a statement Tuesday.
The Clark County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: KLAS - 8 News Now
