Las Vegas, NV (AP) - A judge on Tuesday recused himself from overseeing DUI charges against former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs in connection with a crash that killed a woman.
Ruggs, 24, is accused of driving up to 156 mph seconds before slamming into 23-year-old Tina Tintor’s car in November 2021.
It has yet to be determined if there is enough evidence for Ruggs to stand trial.
Prosecutors have said Ruggs faces more than 50 years in prison if convicted.
A District Court judge recently moved the criminal proceedings to Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure’s courtroom.
But during Tuesday’s court hearing for Ruggs, Bonaventure said he was concerned about presiding over the proceedings because of comments he made about the case while running for office.
Bonaventure has ordered the case to be heard by Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia and scheduled another hearing for Monday, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Court records show Ruggs has been 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 former first-round NFL draft pick was released from the Raiders shortly after the crash.
Ruggs is out of custody on bail and remains on house arrest with electronic monitoring.