The former Arizona prison director has been charged with felony firearms in the wake of a January 2022 clash at his home in Tempe.
Court records show that Charles Ryan’s attorneys and Maricopa County prosecutors are seeking a plea bargain.
Two search warrant affidavits filed in January 2022 both list Charles Ryan pointing a gun at Tempe police.
However, Ryan was never charged with aggravated assault on a police officer.
“This case certainly suggests that there are two systems of justice: one for the privileged and one for everyone else,” said Larry Wolcan.
If Ryan gets a plea bargain on gun charges, he will plead guilty to a felony.
Alexandra Holguin/KJZZ
Charles Ryan in 2018.
But “a conviction for aggravated assault on a police officer carries with it a heavier sentence,” Urkan said.
A spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office neither confirmed nor denied the plea deal talks. They said it was their policy not to comment on unsolved cases.
When Tempe police first spoke about the standoff with Ryan, they were calling for Ryan to be charged with pointing a gun at an officer.
However, Tempe police quickly softened and Ryan was not charged with aggravated assault on a police officer.
A search warrant affidavit lists Ryan’s actions.
“He would have believed people were trying to break into their homes. He was drunk and ‘patrolling’ their property with a gun,” Urkan said.
He added that Tempe police showed restraint not to shoot Ryan because many people who pointed their guns would be shot by officers.
