Ex-Raider Ruggs in prison work program at governor’s mansion
Imprisoned for a fatal Las Vegas DUI, former NFL player Henry Ruggs has since been transferred to Northern Nevada, where he’s in a prison work program that placed him at the Governor’s Mansion, according to the Department of Corrections.
As a minimum-custody offender with no prior felonies, Ruggs is one of about a “handful” of inmates assigned to the post, department spokesperson Teri Vance noted.
“Trusties work at local and state offices during the day and return to their respective conservation camps in the evening,” Vance wrote in a statement.
Prison records show that Ruggs, 25, is housed at the Stewart Conservation Camp, where he’s serving a three-to-10 year sentence in the Nov. 2, 2021, death of Tina Tintor.
Under state law, DUI offenders qualify for minimum-custody status if they don’t have a history of violent or sexual offenses, Vance explained. They can be a “community trusty,” otherwise known as a worker allowed to labor outside confinement, if their possible release is within three years.
Ruggs could parole as soon as August 2026. His duties at the governor’s home were not immediately clear.
After a night of drinking, Ruggs — then a Las Vegas Raiders star player — was speeding at about 156 mph in his sports car seconds before he barreled into Tintor’s compact SUV, killing the 23-year-old woman and her dog on the Rainbow Boulevard thoroughfare, according to authorities.
Authorities said Ruggs had twice the blood alcohol level allowed to legally drive in Nevada.
Ruggs pleaded guilty last year to a felony charge of DUI resulting in death and a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter.
At sentencing, Ruggs apologized to Tintor’s family, saying that “over the past 21 months, I’ve certainly had to find the answers to explain myself and my behavior on that day,” he said.
The Stewart Conservation Camp in Carson City can house up to 360 prisoners, according to the department of corrections.
Most of them work as volunteer firefighters with the Nevada Division of Forestry and others do farm work.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.