Tempe police submit 3 standoff-related charges against ex-Arizona prison director

PHOENIX – Tempe police have submitted three felony charges against Charles Ryan, the former Arizona prison system director, after completing their investigation into an armed standoff at his home earlier this month.

The Tempe Police Department said Wednesday that two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm were forwarded to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review.

MCAO said there was no timeframe for when a charging decision would be made.

The investigation included “a comprehensive review of police reports, body worn camera footage and witness interviews,” police said.

Ryan, who retired as director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry in 2019, experienced what police have called “a mental health crisis” on Jan. 6 at his residence near Warner and Terrace roads.

Officers responded to reports of a self-inflicted gunshot wound around 9:30 p.m. and were told Ryan was armed inside the home and possibly injured.

Police said they attempted to communicate with Ryan after his wife and adult daughter left the house but were initially unsuccessful.

At one point Ryan opened a door from the house to the garage and pointed a gun at officers, police said in their initial press release following the incident.

Officers attempted to use less-than-lethal force but Ryan retreated into the house, according to police. He came out a short time later and was taken into custody without further incident, police said.

He was taken to a hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his hand.

Ryan was under fire for his handling of prison issues toward the end of his tenure after more than 10 years on the job. Notably, he was pressured to step down following reports of how he addressed the issue of broken locks on cells at the Lewis Prison in Buckeye.

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