Ruggs waived a long-delayed preliminary hearing with the agreement to admit that he drove under the influence of alcohol causing death, a felony, his lawyers said. A six-month sentence for a guilty plea to misdemeanor manslaughter will be folded in with the total.
Ruggs spoke only to acknowledge for Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia that he understands the terms of the agreement. The judge scheduled his plea for May 10. Prosecutor Eric Bauman told the judge the Clark County District Attorney’s office endorsed the deal.
“This is the first step toward a fair resolution to this matter and we look forward to closure for all parties involved,” Ruggs’ attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement handed to reporters. They and their client and several people with them declined additional comment in the court hallway.
Ruggs’ lawyers lost a bid to prevent prosecutors from presenting evidence that Ruggs had a blood-alcohol level of 0.16% — twice the legal limit in Nevada — after the predawn rear-end wreck that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her pet dog, Max.
The speed limit where the crash happened was 45 mph (72 kph), a fraction of what police said Ruggs was driving. Investigators found air bag computer records showing his 2020 Chevrolet Corvette decelerated from 156 mph (251 kph) to 127 mph (204 kph) seconds before slamming into Tintor’s Toyota Rav 4.
An attorney who has represented Tintor’s family members at earlier court appearances did not respond to email and telephone messages to him and his media representative about Ruggs’ plea.
Ruggs’ sentencing will follow on another date in state court in Las Vegas. Other charges will be dismissed, including felony reckless driving, driving under the influence causing substantial injury to Ruggs’ girlfriend, Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, and a misdemeanor gun charge. Police said they found a loaded handgun in Ruggs’ demolished Corvette after the crash.