Judge: ex-Raider Ruggs can remain on house arrest
Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III received a stern talking-to from a Las Vegas judge but was allowed to remain on house arrest with a continuous alcohol monitor on one ankle and a GPS monitor on the other following a fatal crash he’s accused of causing by driving drunk.
Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum told Ruggs and his lawyers she was “comfortable with a higher level of monitoring” after a hearing about a delay in Ruggs providing a remote breathalcohol test with a handheld device on Nov. 13.
“But if there are any misses, if there are any problems, if there is any alcohol detected in your system, you need to know that’s going to be problematic for this court going forward,” she said.
Attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said their client took a test anyway “out of an abundance of caution” on Nov. 13 and met a three-hour requirement by submitting the negative test.
“Henry still did the right thing by testing within the window,” Chesnoff said, standing with Ruggs before the judge. “He should not be punished because his case attracts so much attention.”
Since his Nov. 3 release from jail on $150,000 bail, Ruggs has passed more than 77 breath-alcohol tests, his lawyer told the judge.
Ruggs’ lawyers also submitted testimonials from two people who said they were with Ruggs when he missed the call Nov. 13, and didn’t hear a signal from the monitor.
Las Vegas police still have Ruggs’ cellphone, Chesnoff said, and he has now provided a new phone number to the monitoring system, SCRAM of Nevada.
The hand-held device emitted a signal while Ruggs stood before the judge, requiring Ruggs to submit a breath test after his court hearing.
Police and prosecutors say Ruggs, 22, and his girlfriend, Kiara Je’nai KilgoWashington, were injured in the pre-dawn Nov. 2 crash, when Ruggs’ Chevrolet Corvette slammed into the rear of a Toyota Rav4 that caught fire.
Tina Tintor, 23, died in the Toyota.
Chesnoff didn’t specify Ruggs’ injuries, but told the judge that a leg cast that initially prevented the use of the ankle monitor has been removed.
Chesnoff and Schonfeld are fighting separately to block prosecutors from accessing Ruggs’ medical records, and an attorney for Kilgo-Washington has launched a similar effort on her behalf. A Dec. 8 hearing is scheduled on that question.
JOSEPH ADDDED TO CHARGERS’ COVID-19 LIST >> Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Linval Joseph entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol on Monday following a positive test.
He is the fifth Chargers defensive player over the past two weeks that has either tested positive or had to go on the reserve/COVID-19 list as a close contact.
Joseph missed Sunday’s 41-37 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers because of a shoulder injury and will be out for this week’s game at Denver because he is unvaccinated.
Defensive linemen Jerry Tillery and Christian Covington remain in protocol after positive tests last week.
BEARS’ FIELDS MAY MISS
GAMES AFTER INJURY >> The Chicago Bears are reeling. And now, they might have to get by without Justin Fields.
Coach Matt Nagy said the team was still trying to determine Monday if their prized rookie quarterback bruised his ribs or broke them in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens. “I can’t rule out anything, all I can say is we’re waiting to get feedback today and then that’s what we’ve got to go off of,” he said.