Former Arizona Corrections director pleads no contest over armed standoff with officers

By JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Former Arizona Corrections Director Charles Ryan has pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge. The charge stems from a drunken standoff with police in early 2022. Police reports say Ryan had consumed a half bottle of tequila, fired a gun inside his Tempe home, and pointed a firearm at two officers during the three-hour standoff. Police say they went to Ryan’s home responding to a report that he had injured himself. An attorney for Ryan told a judge that the no-contest plea was in the public’s best interest. He said Ryan has no specific memory of the events in the police encounter. The plea deal calls for Ryan to serve a sentence of probation.