Lawyers for former Raiders player Henry Ruggs continue to press the judge to explain why he refused to prosecute a fatal Drunk Driving case.

The case, which has been moving between different judges in the Las Vegas Court of Justice in recent weeks, is now scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 4 before Peace Judge Harmony Letitia, who is to decide at the hearing whether prosecutors have enough evidence to have Ruggs stand trial. court.

On Monday, Letitia ruled that she did not have jurisdiction to grant a motion to have the case returned to the courtroom of Magistrate Joe Bonaventure.

Ruggs is facing charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and possession of a firearm while intoxicated in connection with the November 2021 fiery crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor.

Defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schoenfeld have filed a motion asking Letizia to reverse Bonaventure’s decision in which he withdrew from the case, or to order Bonaventure to provide a more detailed explanation of why he is unable to observe the proceedings.

On Monday, Letizia ruled that she did not have the authority to force Bonaventure to make any decisions. Chesnoff and Schoenfeld said they are considering filing another lawsuit in the district court.

Bonaventure recused himself last month and said he was concerned about having to preside over the hearing because of comments he made about the case while running for office. He previously presided over Ruggs’ first court appearance, during which he posted $150,000 bail.

Ruggs is accused of hitting 156 mph seconds before his fatal crash in a residential area near Rainbow Boulevard and Spring Valley Boulevard. Prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was 0.16 percent after the accident, double the legal limit for drivers in Nevada.

Previously, the case was handled by Magistrate Ann Zimmerman, who presided over a specialized Drunk Driving Court.

Ruggs’ lawyers argued that he was “singled out” when Zimmerman moved on to continue supervising the case, although Bonaventure took over the management of the specialized court during normal court reassignments.

District Judge Jennifer Schwartz ordered the case returned to the Bonaventure Division. In the order, she noted that the case should be referred to Letizia’s department unless there was a special drunk driving court to preside over it.

Chesnoff said during Monday’s hearing that Magistrate Cynthia Cruz refused to meet with them to agree on which judge would oversee the case.

“We want this to be on the record,” Chesnoff said.

In an emailed statement sent Monday morning, the judge said she was given one day’s notice of the hearing and was unable to meet with Ruggs’ defense lawyers due to her schedule.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Eric Bauman was neither in favor nor against the transfer of the case to another agency. He declined to comment on communications with Cruz.

“We just want to move forward. We don’t care where,” Bauman said of the case.

Contact Caitlin Newberg at [email protected] or call 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.

Content Source