Former Arizona prisons chief Charles Ryan gets probation for 2022 armed standoff at Tempe home
Former Arizona prisons chief Charles Ryan was sentenced to two years of supervised probation on Friday in Maricopa County Superior Court on charges stemming from an armed standoff with police at his Tempe residence in 2022.
Ryan had pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge. Judge Geoffrey Fish designated his crime as a felony.
As a result of the felony conviction, Ryan loses the right to possess firearms and the right to vote. His voting rights can be restored after the successful completion of the probation period. The judge also ordered Ryan to pay a restitution reimbursement of $8,500 for Tempe police investigation costs.
Addressing Fish in court on Friday, Ryan said he had apologized to his family, friends, neighbors and the Tempe Police Department for his actions.
"I fully realize the errors of my way," Ryan said, "and I'm ashamed and embarrassed about my behavior."
Ryan's wife told police the night of the incident that her husband drank "half of a large bottle of tequila" before she called them for assistance, fearing he had harmed himself.
In court on Friday, Ryan said he had been participating in AA groups daily and had completed more than 700 meetings. Ryan said he had been alcohol free for 25 months and would remain so for the rest of his life.
The judge acknowledged the steps Ryan had taken since the standoff occurred. Fish said he took into account mitigating factors such as Ryan's "long service to the community," including his time as Arizona's prison director, as well as his work as a private contractor as a correctional adviser to the Iraqi prison system, including the infamous Abu Ghraib prison facility.
But Fish said letters from victims, including two detectives who worked for the Tempe Police Department, had weighed heavy on him.
"This court sees, daily, crimes involving guns with all sorts of outcomes, and the court feels there are certain crimes in which a designation is appropriate," Fish said in explaining his decision to designate the disorderly conduct charge as a felony.
Fish ordered Ryan to participate in a mental health evaluation and to follow any recommended treatment.
'He's got a gun!'
Seven homes surrounding Ryan's residence were evacuated during the January 2022 standoff. A tactical armored vehicle, SWAT team, negotiators and robot were used by police. Officers who responded said they feared for their lives after Ryan pointed a handgun at them and refused to drop the weapon.
Body camera footage released by Tempe Police contains officers saying, "He's got a gun" and "He was pointing it at us." These statements are reflected in police reports from the incident.
Ryan was finally coaxed out of the home and taken to a hospital for treatment of a self-inflicted wound and an injury sustained when Tempe police shot him with a less-lethal bean bag round, police said. He was never jailed.
Public defenders reacting to the way Ryan was handled said there was a massive disparity compared with the way police have treated their clients in similar situations.
A grand jury indicted Ryan in April 2022 on two felony charges — disorderly conduct involving weapons and unlawful discharge of a weapon — after officials said he pointed his gun at police during the hourslong standoff.
In 2023, Ryan agreed to a plea deal, pleading no contest to a disorderly conduct charge. The prosecution policies of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office require division chief approval "in any case where the defendant has pointed or discharged a firearm at a peace officer who was acting in the peace officer’s official capacity."
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the sentencing. Her office said it would respond next week.
Rob Ferraro, president of Tempe Officers Association, said in a statement before the sentencing that the group would "leave it to the criminal justice system to adjudicate this case as it sees fit."
"This incident serves as a perfect example of the professionalism of the men and women on the frontlines of the Tempe Police Department," Ferraro said. "This had the potential to be a volatile encounter, like many of the 135,000 calls for service our officers respond to every year. Fortunately, we responded in a professional, appropriate manner to this emergency, and we defused a situation that could have ended in a far different outcome. We're relieved no officers were injured."
Ryan's tenure as the head of the Department of Corrections included a finding of civil contempt of court for poor health care conditions in prisons, an execution in 2014 that lasted nearly two hours and a failed locking system that allowed incarcerated people to open their cell doors and attack staff.Have a news tip? Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 812-243-5582. Follow him on X: @JimmyJenkins.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ex-Arizona prisons chief Charles Ryan gets probation in armed standoff
