Ryan Edwards has been sentenced to one year in jail.
The Teen Mom dad, who has been held in jail without bond since his April 7 arrest, appeared in court Wednesday for drug possession, driving under the influence and other charges after he overdosed after leaving rehab early. The Sun reports that Ryan has been sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in prison.
Ryan’s estranged wife Mackenzie Edwards was present Thursday in court, as were Ryan’s parents, Jen and Larry Edwards; however, according to The Sun‘s reporter in the courtroom, Mackenzie reportedly did not sit with her in-laws. (MTV cameras were not in the courtroom.)
Ryan was reportedly led into the courtroom in a orange prison jumpsuit and handcuffed. The Sun reports he looked “disheveled” and “tired,” causing his parents to get emotional when they saw him.
Ryan’s attorney admitted Thursday that his client had violated probation, to which a lawyer for the state noted that Ryan did so by “leaving treatment early” and proceeding to pick up two new charges: possession of controlled substance and DUI charges.
The state’s attorney even pointed out that Ryan was given a very light sentence initially and he still blew it by only staying 14 of the 45 days he was supposed to be in rehab.
“This court is used to seeing probation violations, this defendant received a lenient break from this court and my office in March. He was given the opportunity for the second or third time to pursue rehabilitation,” the state’s attorney said. “He has a drug problem. He had an opportunity to pursue rehabilitation. He failed to do that. He was there for two weeks. He left the facility contradictory to the staff’s advisement. The staff was trying to keep him there. He was ordered to be there 45 days.”
Ryan was admitted to the facility March 16 and discharged April 3. Four days later, Ryan was back in Tennessee. He overdosed while driving his truck before ultimately getting arrested.
“He somehow got back to Chattanooga. Then a block from this courthouse, while so under the influence in his vehicle, he ran into a curb,” the state’s attorney told the judge.
“He could’ve hit people,” the attorney said. “He’s a danger to himself and the public. His option is to get clean or die.”
The state’s attorney stated that Ryan’s actions after receiving such a light sentence made a mockery of the court.
“There will be a request for more rehabilitation. The opportunity he had he squandered,” she said. “That is disrespectful to the court and makes a mockery.”
Ryan’s lawyer said he was not asking the court to suspend his client’s sentence, though he suggested there was a “unique treatment option.” He called up the director of court services, who recommended Ryan receive monthly shots-– used to curb cravings, she said–- along with completing a two-year program.
In response, Judge Gary Starnes said Ryan “is not a bad person, he just got addicted to hard drugs,” though he wasn’t in favor of sending Ryan to rehab at this moment.
“He’s an extreme danger to himself, he died [when he overdosed in his truck] on Broad Street and had to be brought back to life,” Judge Starnes continued. “You would’ve been dead. You should realize that. He’s a danger to the public by driving his truck on drugs.
“Rehab won’t be good because he won’t do it,” he continued. “He needs to grow up, you know that. You have three kids. You may have some problems with your wife, but you have three kids. I’m trying to save your life.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRerOLwhDoS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The judge and Ryan’s lawyer both argued that Ryan was still a good person “down deep,” despite his actions.
“He’s addicted to drugs. We all know there is a good person deep inside there wanting to get out,” Ryan’s attorney said. “That person is hammered down deep because of the drugs.”
The judge then called Ryan “a very fine young man.”
“We all know Mr. Edwards and his family. He’s a very fine young man. He’s very talented at what he does. We’ve all watched him grow up. He is not a bad person. He just got addicted to hardcore drugs,” the judge said.
(The Ashley has discovered that Ryan and his family have been acquainted to Judge Starnes and his family for a long time. Click here to read more about that!)
Ryan’s lawyer acknowledged that Ryan needed to serve time for what he’s done.
“We all want the best for him and the community. We ask, at some point, not today, after Mr. Edwards receives sufficient time to be punished and think about what he’s done to consider an alternative. We’re all disappointed,” the lawyer said. “It’s a small town. We all know each other. We all know him. We want him to do better. There is a unique treatment option. I’m not asking the court to suspend his sentence.”
Judge Starnes said he was revoking Ryan’s probation for 11 months and 29 days, which Ryan will spend behind bars. The judge said Ryan may be sent to rehab “at some point,” but not at the moment because “the drug addiction is too strong.”
“You can’t do it,” he said. “You have to grow up and want to save yourself. I’m going to do what I can to save you. If you come across someone [with] drugs at Silverdale [Detention Center], stay away from them.”
Ryan is due back in court on June 12. He will remain in jail in Chattanooga.
Although Ryan was named a “suspect” for trashing the house that he and Mackenzie once shared, no charges were brought against him as of press time.
Mackenzie and Ryan’s parents have yet to comment publicly on the results of Ryan’s hearing.
Click here to see photos of Ryan in court on Thursday.
(Photos: MTV; Instagram)
40 Responses
The judge doesn’t know him to well to know he actually has 4 kids not just three!!!!
Dumb to say this has anything to do with race. It’s definitely privilege due to being family friends though. Definitely not okay and Rhine should have a new judge.
I am super curious as to the Litmus test this judge uses to determine whether or not someone is a “good person”.
Judge: Now don’t you go taking drugs from the prisoners now, boy. They will offer them to you, just say no.
That’s like telling me in a fat camp after eating nothing but lettuce and radishes to not eat those M&Ms offered at night by the cleaning crew. Oh, I’m eating them M&Ms….
This asshole needs to be in jail for YEARS for destroying that beautiful house. There has to be a personal relationship between the Edwards and the “judge”for him to receive such a light sentence. Such BS>
There is. Judge’s son went to Ryan’s wedding. They’re really close.
You would think that would be a conflict of interest and they wield assign someone else to the case
I think it’s disrespectful to his wife and kids to not even mention the emotional stress and anxiety he has been giving her by harassing her and being violent. He might not be convicted for what he did to the house yet but come on, why focus on just the DUI?
Imagine having to explain all this to your young children. The whole town knows their dad destroyed their house and wrote long messages on the walls, destroyed their toys too. Some people in town might even look at their mom as the adultress and cause.
The Sun is so dramatic lol. First, he doesn’t appear disheveled at all. His hair looks fine and a heck of a lot better than most inmates. And he’s in an jail jumpsuit, there’s not much tailoring you can do there. He actually looks better than he has in a long time. Second, I’m sure his parents didn’t get emotional because he was disheveled, as The Sun claims, I’m pretty sure they got emotional because their only child came in in handcuffs and in a jail jumpsuit, and is in a courtroom. And recently died of an overdose and had to be brought back to life.
The judge is skewed of course b/c he knows Ryan, but come on with the “good person underneath the drugs” & “very fine young man until he was introduced to drugs”. We all watched Ryan for years on Teen Mom before he took any drugs and he was a POS ‘father’ to Bentley from day one. Even when he was first born he couldn’t have cared less about him, always going out with his friends instead of spending any time with him. I can’t think of a single scene where he’s being a good Dad to Bentley. He was never anything more than a distant uncle-figure. How Mackenzie watched that and still chose to have kids with him is mind-blowing.
Anyway, him getting a year in jail is promising but it sounds like there are plenty of drugs being passed around that jail and there’s no way he’ll stay away from them. I don’t think he even cares about his own life. He has never seemed even slightly interested in getting off drugs. He’s very difficult to understand.
I guess this means for at least a year Jagger and Stella will be free of having the house they live in trashed. Or, trembling in fear at seeing their mom with a knife pointed at her.
Bentley, on the other hand can probably breathe a sigh of relief that his dad has finally been taken off the streets and won’t be able to do stupid sh*t to embarrass them for a while.
Still praying for these three innocent kids who did absolutely NOTHING to deserve this.
I wanna know what it was like growing up in Jen and Larry’s household.
Most addicts that end up in addiction was because of some sort trauma, typically in childhood and just continued into adult hood because we didn’t know what trauma was.
I’m not making excuses for him, but I’m so curious.
They are still in such denial, well at lest to the publics eye. They may just not want to make any public comments in general, but everyone enabled him.
Did this judge personally know Ryam? He said he’s watched him grow up, or was he meaning that as in on watching grow up via TV?
So he was sentenced to a year. Does he have to serve to whole time?
He’s probably going to make it to June. Get another slap on wrist and get everybody to believe he’s ready for recovery etc. Probably wants to prove something all while not actually getting clean for yourself.
People who don’t get clean for themselves, won’t stay clean in the long run. Hopefully Ryan find sobering before he finds death. Either one will be fine with me, but maybe think about your kids?
Yes the judge does know Ryan. His son is Ryan’s best friend and the families are friends.
Tennessee law seems to be a little different than Illinois so I’m only guessing he can still be tried on his new charges regarding the passing out in his truck. Although harder, you can still be convicted of a DUI even without a blood draw/breathalyzer and he had possession of control substances in the truck. DUI’s can take up to a year or so to be charged.
Is that the same judge who is the father of Ryans best friend, the one that kept giving him either fines or curfews, I’m sorry he’s not a fine man, if the judge thinks deep down he’s good then that judge is biased, I bet you it is his friends father.
Also…Can you face charges for destroying your own house?? Civilly MacKenzie should be able to sue for damages but if you are an owner of the home how would you face criminal charges??
She had a protection order and he was ordered to stay away from her and her home and the kids during that time. So that’s how he can be charged. Since he wasn’t allowed to be there or contact her- destroying the home is considered burglary and criminal mischief since he didn’t have the right to be there, he wasn’t allowed to enter the home and remove property (he was supposed to be escorted by police to pick up ONLY his personal items)- and so that’s how he’s able to be charged.
“Damn Maci, triggering Rhine,” said Rhine’s parents in the courtroom.
Probably.
I wouldn’t sit with Jen and Larry either. They’d probably just make excuses for Ryan and then ask MacKenzie why she did this to him (when in reality he’s done it to himself)
Finally! It prob won’t help much but at least it’s something…Bentley is old enough to know his father has been a POS from the start anyway.
I hope charges are brought against him in trashing the house. I wish the judge could see the damage this “fine, young man” did to his house, including his children’s rooms! The only thing he cares about is his dog.
Best choice. By Ry. Proud now mimijen and larry? Enablers.
That judge was ridiculous. Ryan has proved for years that he’s trash. He treats his loved ones terribly, doesn’t hold down a job, he’s mean spirited, he never treats his wive/fiancé/girlfriends well and most importantly does not give anything financially/ emotionally/ or supportive to his children.
Still being babied and cottled. That judge is delusional AF trying to “save” him? Give me a break. Rhine is not going to get better after this stint in the clink, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they released him in June. The amount of enablers all around him is so gross…down to the court system. I just hope Rhine doesn’t die young, because it looks like that’s where he’s headed. First gel, next stop death.
Ugh the white privilege is so strong with this one
Judge Gary Starnes said Ryan “is not a bad person, he just got addicted to hard drugs,”
You better believe he wouldn’t be saying that if he wasn’t a good ol boy.
Exactly!!!
Preach.
I mean just from what the judge can see alone:
Served Protection against Abuse for threatening Taylor with a deadly weapon
Charge with theft (skipping out on $100 bar tab)
Charged with multiple DUIs
Charged with multiple drug and drug paraphernalia charges starting in 2017.
Charges for disorderly conduct
Charged threatening wife with deadly weapon
Charged with breaking no contact orders
Charged with threatening wife’s father
Charged with harassment
Multiples charges of violating probation, including violating PFA, and only serving 14 days of 45 day rehab.
Hasn’t paid or taken care of one of his children EVER. Has a spotty work history at best.
Like what did this judge and think, well I know he’s a good boy at heart. And that’s just the stuff the judge can see, not the 10+ years of history we all know about him being a deadbeat, abusive, etc.
Devoin got caught with <20 mgs weed, and he didn't get bail. He had to stay in jail until his court date. He had no history of violent crime. And they didn't offer him rehab. They didn't say, well his a good boy, let a stray, he just needs a little help growing up to take care of his daughter.
I'm not saying either is right, but if you don't the black-and-white issue, look inwards.
I hope his parents listened carefully to what was said. He could be dead. He could’ve killed someone. He destroyed his kids’ home. He needs to grow up.
But I don’t think he’s a “very fine young man” at all. First, he’s a grown ass 35 year old man, not a 20 year old kid. Second, no good man does to the home of his children what he did. No good man threatens his wife’s life. He’s a POS and if my own son ever grows up to be a fraction of what Ryan is, I’ll know I failed as a parent and as a person.
I’m so sick of this narrative that addicts are generally good people deep down. At a minimum, they are selfish and endanger and manipulate other people. I know there are some addicts that do genuinely want help and to change and there is hope for them, but Ryan is not a good person. He never has been. It’s ok to call a spade a spade and lock them up when they refuse to end their destruction. How long do innocent people have to suffer?
It’s a narrative for a reason… MOST are good people deep down. We have moments where we absolutely are selfish, endanger and manipulate people. Are you saying “regular” non-addicts don’t? That’s a fallacy if I ever heard one. I’m in recovery and when I was in active addiction, I was mostly hurting myself and I would stay home and drink to the point where I passed out so I wasn’t driving or starting fights with anyone. Those like Ryan- complete narcissists, are not good people deep down. Clearly. The drugs are a small fraction of the issue with him.
Eh not from what I’ve experienced. I’m aware this is anecdotal but I was an ICU nurse for 6 years and was forced to care for the same ungrateful addict @ssholes over and over. My father, mother and brother are all alcoholics who have put everyone through absolute hell with their drinking my entire life. My brother had a liver transplant at 33 and still relapsed after. I finally cut them off and my life has been way more peaceful for it.
I would disagree about Ryan not being a bad person. He’s an addict, clearly, but he’s also a bad person. He shoots cats and has never been an involved father, even before he was on drugs. Ryan has never been a supportive partner in any way. He’s also a right wing extremist, and I’m quite surprised he didn’t storm the capital building on January 6.
That whole town is redder than the bottom of a Louboutins. Judge is probably right wing trash, too.
Judge Gary Starnes said Ryan “is not a bad person, he just got addicted to hard drugs.”
He attacked his wife and threatened both his baby mamas and in-laws. Destroyed the home his kids live in, and drove high multiple times, risking innocent lives. And the judge is like he’s not a bad person. Yeah, tell me you’re white in Tennessee, without telling me your white.
I agree with everything else the judge said, except that. Rhine does need to grow up, he’s been a father since 19, and he’s 35, and still acting like a child. He has three children and hasn’t been a father to any of them.
I am in recovery myself and I RARELY say this but… I don’t think there is a chance for Ryan. At all. I think this has little to do with the drugs and everything to do with HIM as a person. He continues to prove himself to be a spoiled, entitled, vindictive, vile and out of line narcissistic man child with zero sense of control and/or respect. I think it honestly has to do with his upbringing. His behavior when he either doesn’t get what he wants or when he thinks someone has “wronged” him, is disgusting. What he did to his former home- the home of his children- is beyond destructive, unacceptable and honestly, it was repulsive. I don’t care what Mackenzie did. I was shocked to see the actual damage done and couldn’t have even thought that up in a worst-case scenario. I wouldn’t allow him near my children. I think he’s a lost cause. Period. I don’t think this prison stint will change much.
Agreed. And congrats on your recovery.
Until Larry and Jen pulls their heads out of their hindparts, there is no hope for him. And I don’t see that happening any time soon. Their poor baby is just so persecuted and prosecuted and it’s all these damned wimmin-folks’ fault! /sarcasm
I had to deal with someone in my life very similar to Ryan in so many ways along with all of the adjectives you describe. This guy became a dad while still a teen, trashed at least two properties where he resided, never got into major legal trouble perhaps because he had a decent job as a skilled tradesman, and was just rotten to the core. This guy had zero desire to get clean and his mommy was in denial that his issues were so serious. The walls were closing in on him and the drugs got him in the end. I only feel sad for his teenage sons who chose a few years earlier to cut him out of their lives – they know their useless sperm donor chose drugs over them and that stinks. Bentley probably feels the same way and the younger ones will figure it out too.
So yes, some people would rather die from drugs than get clean and Ryan seems like one of them.
I want to address those that down voted my comment- You are either A) not supportive of an addict being in recovery- which makes ZERO sense. Who does that?! or B) Support Ryan and all his BS- otherwise there is no other reason you would’ve down voted it. Either way, you might want to reevaluate your character. SMH
EXCELLENT DECISION!! Although, I think it should be longer..