A Nevada judge will again be called upon to decide which justice of the peace should handle a preliminary hearing in the case against former Las Vegas Raiders catcher Henry Ruggs III, who is accused of killing a woman in a car accident drunk in 2021.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia told Ruggs and her attorneys on Monday that she had no authority to decide whether she or another judge should preside over the hearing to decide whether there was enough evidence to warrant Ruggs being tried for reckless driving and under the influence of alcohol causing death.
Ruggs attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said they would take the case back to Clark County District Court, where a judge ruled in January that the case should be assigned to the DUI court docket of Vegas.
But the judge handling those cases recused himself because he said he spoke about Ruggs’ case during his 2022 re-election campaign.
Prosecutors plan to present evidence that Ruggs had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and that his Chevrolet Corvette was traveling 250 km/h before the fatal crash involving a 23-year-old woman and her dog.
Ruggs, 24, is under house arrest and faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted.
It was not immediately clear on Monday whether a case assignment will be made before a preliminary hearing currently scheduled for May 4.