Former Las Vegas Raiders’ wide receiver Henry Ruggs III did not appear at his case hearing Wednesday though his lawyers were present, as prosecutors officially levied the five charges against him. Afterwards, prosecutors said if convicted on all counts, Ruggs could be facing more than 50 years in prison.
This, a potential lengthy sentence behind bars for Ruggs, who is accused of driving at high speeds while intoxicated with his girlfriend in the vehicle, striking and killing a young woman and her dog in a devastating car accident last Tuesday morning.
However, Defense Attorney David Chesnoff asks the public to hold their judgement on Ruggs until the official sentence is handed down, telling reporters after the hearing that:
“I have been doing this for 40 years, and I can tell each and every one of you, that I have had multiple experiences where the facts that were presented at the outset of the case, turned out not to be the facts.
So that is why I keep saying ‘Please don’t prejudge’. Let us do our work in the courtroom. The state, the prosecutor will do theirs. And that’s when the facts will be determined.”
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Ruggs hasn’t been seen publicly since appearing in court on a wheelchair, last Wednesday, following his crash. However, he now is scheduled to make his second public appearance in court, where prosecutors are expected to formally announce the five charges against the former Raiders receiver.
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Four felonies and one misdemeanor are expected to compile the five charges against Ruggs, who could also potentially enter a plea afterwards, according to TMZ.