Henry Ruggs III allowed to stay on house arrest following missed alcohol test

Former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III will be allowed to remain on house arrest after appearing in Clarke County (Nev.) court on Monday following a missed alcohol test on Saturday, Nov. 13.

Ruggs — involved in a fatal Las Vegas car crash in which prosecutors say he had a blood alcohol content of .16 — could have returned to jail as a result of violating his release restrictions. Apart from paying $150,000 in bond release on Wednesday, Nov. 3, he was ordered to remain on house arrest, undergo electronic surveillance, refrain from alcohol or other controlled substances and submit to four daily alcohol tests from Nevada-based SCRAM.

MORE: Henry Ruggs III released by Raiders: What to know about DUI charges from deadly car crash

According to a report from ESPN, Judge Suzan Baucum — who ordered Ruggs’ return to court — said she was comfortable allowing Ruggs to remain on house arrest “with a higher level of monitoring” following his missed test. According to Clarke County court records, Ruggs missed a signal to submit a breath test at 4:41 p.m. local time on Nov. 13, but completed “a client initiated remote breath test” at 6:28 p.m. the same day.

“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,” Baucum told Ruggs.

MORE: Raiders’ 2020 NFL Draft class is already one big bust after Henry Ruggs, Damon Arnette cuts

Attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld told Baucum that Ruggs took a test “out of an abundance of caution” on Nov. 13, meeting a court-mandated three-hour requirement between tests. They also claimed the former receiver had completed 77 consecutive alcohol tests since his release on bond on Nov. 3.

Ruggs, 22, is due to appear at an evidence hearing on Thursday, Dec. 16 in relation to charges he faces in the death of 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog. He faces four felony counts — two counts of felony DUI resulting in death or serious injury and two counts of reckless driving — as a result of the crash. Prosecutors say Ruggs was driving 156 mph when his Chevrolet Corvette hit the back of Tintor’s Toyota Rav4. He also faces a misdemeanor weapon charge.

MORE: Raiders’ timeline of 2021 drama, from Jon Gruden’s emails to Henry Ruggs’ DUI to Damon Arnette’s release

The felony DUI charges face a mandatory prison sentence of two to 20 years upon conviction. The felony reckless driving charges carry penalties of one to six years in prison.

Ruggs was the first receiver taken in the 2020 NFL Draft at No. 12 overall. The Raiders released him on Nov. 2, the same day the second-year player was arrested as a result of the crash.