Grand jury indicts former Arizona prisons Director Charles Ryan after January standoff
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The former director of the Arizona Department of Corrections has been indicted on two felony charges in connection with a January standoff at his home.
But Charles Ryan is not being charged with the most severe crimes that Tempe police said he committed.
The indictment accuses Ryan of disorderly conduct involving weapons and unlawful discharge of a weapon.
Tempe police went to Ryan’s home in January on a report that someone had shot themself.
A standoff ensued and investigators said Ryan pointed a gun at officers before surrendering.
Tempe police recommended that Ryan be charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer. But those charges are not in the grand jury indictment.
Interim Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell issued a prepared statement on the indictment.
“As a 30-year prosecutor, I understand the importance of focusing on the facts and evidence of each individual case when making charging decisions. A thorough review of this case was conducted by experienced prosecutors in this office. I want to assure this community that a person’s occupation, race, age, or other such factors of this nature do not influence charges that are sought by this office,” said Mitchell.
The Arizona Republic’s Jimmy Jenkins has been following this story, and he joined The Show to talk about it.
