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Charles Ryan: Possible plea deal for former Arizona corrections chief

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Charles Ryan: Possible plea deal for former Arizona corrections chief


We have learned that there is now a possible plea deal for Charles Ryan, the former head of the Arizona Department of Corrections.

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Ryan, who stepped down from his Department of Corrections post in 2019, was arrested in 2022, after a confrontation with Tempe Police. According to a statement released by police at the time, officers went to an area near Rural and Warner Roads for reports of a person with possible self-inflicted gunshot wound. When officers arrived at the scene, they learned that it was Ryan who was inside the home.

Court documents show Ryan’s wife told officers he drank half a bottle of tequila before firing a gun in the bathroom. Tempe Police officials claim Ryan pointed the gun at police, but never fired. Ryan was eventually taken into custody.

Court documents show possible plea deal

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According to recent court documents, prosecutors have sent over a possible plea deal to Ryan’s defense team. The possible plea deal was sent over after Ryan pleaded guilty not guilty to two charges: disorderly conduct with a weapon and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

We asked Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell for more on the possible plea deal.

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“This is a pending case in front of my office, and I can not specifically speak to it,” said Mitchell.

“There’s been a lot of discussion on how he was charged at this case,” said attorney Russ Richelsop.

According to Richelsop, the discussions included a number of issues, including why Ryan wasn’t charged with the more serious offense of aggravated assault on an officer.

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While Richelsop is not an attorney on the case, he does stress there could be a few reasons behind that decision.

“It’s possible that this case was charged as a disorderly conduct versus an aggravated assault, because the prosecutor was concerned over whether or not they could actually prove that Mr. Ryan pointed the weapon at police officers,” said Richelsop.

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“In a situation such as this, be assured that I read the police reports personally, I’ve reviewed body cams personally,” said Mitchell.

When pushed if this was so-called special treatment on a former public official, she vowed a full explanation would come.

“When this case is resolved, however it is resolved, I am more than happy to talk to you in detail as to the thought process, throughout this case, how decisions were made by me, but I can’t do that until this case is settled,” said Mitchell.

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We reached out to Ryan’s attorney it will have to be outside office hours we did not hear back.



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Arizona

Newest Arizona members of Congress sworn in during opening day in DC

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Newest Arizona members of Congress sworn in during opening day in DC


Gary Farmer is an actor, musician, and activist whose made a career in indigenous media. His performances in television and film have received rave reviews. The1989 film “Powwow Highway”, in which he stars, was just inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry.



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Yassamin Ansari, Abe Hamadeh set to become Arizona’s newest members of Congress

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Yassamin Ansari, Abe Hamadeh set to become Arizona’s newest members of Congress


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Arizona’s two newest U.S. House members are set to get sworn into their posts as the 119th Congress gets underway.

Republican Abe Hamadeh, a lawyer, and Democrat Yassamin Ansari, a former Phoenix vice mayor, are expected to take their oaths of office on Friday, shortly after the House resumes session.

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Hamadeh will replace Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., who is retiring from Congress to serve on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. 

He will represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, an overwhelmingly Republican area that covers parts of Maricopa and Yavapai counties, including Glendale, Peoria, Sun City West and New River.

Propelled by an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, Hamadeh defeated a crowded field of other Republicans in Arizona’s July 30 primary election and sailed to an easy victory in the Nov. 5 general election.

Hamadeh, a self-described “America First warrior,” largely echoed Trump’s positions on the campaign trail. He will serve on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee.

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Ansari will represent Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District, a stretch of Maricopa County that includes parts of Phoenix and Glendale. She is replacing Democrat Ruben Gallego, who has swapped his House seat for a U.S. Senate seat. Her House committee assignments have not been announced.

During the primary election, Ansari hewed closer to the political center than her opponent, former state Sen. Raquel Terán of Phoenix. Ansari ran on a progressive platform but staked out more centrist turf on issues like policing and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel.

She beat out Terán by just 39 votes, and, like Hamadeh, won her November election in a landslide.

Ansari plans to join the House’s Progressive Caucus, the Democrats’ most left-leaning faction on Capitol Hill.

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3 arrested in connection with good Samaritan's killing in Arizona

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3 arrested in connection with good Samaritan's killing in Arizona


Three people were arrested this week in connection with the death of a good Samaritan in Arizona last month, officials said.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department identified two of the three people arrested Monday as Jack Upchurch, 40, and Elmer Smith, 19. The third person is 16 years old. NBC News does not typically identify minors accused of crimes.

The trio were arrested in connection with the death of Paul Clifford, 53, whose body was found near a smoldering car northeast of Tucson last month.

Sabrina Vining, a woman who identified herself as Clifford’s daughter in an online fundraiser, said her father disappeared after he left his house at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 23 to help a “stranger with a stranded vehicle.”

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NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson reported that Clifford’s family reported him missing after, they said, a strange man knocked on Clifford’s door and asked for help with his car.

He was later found dead, the sheriff’s department said. It did not provide a cause or manner of death.

Officials said they received information Monday about a possible location for the three suspects.

Detectives searched the area and obtained a search warrant for a property, which the Pima Regional SWAT team carried out.

The suspects barricaded themselves inside a home and eventually called 911 to negotiate a surrender, the sheriff’s department said. They left the residence and were taken into custody.

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The sheriff’s department did not release any information about a motive or how it connected the suspects to Clifford’s killing.

The three suspects were booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center on felony arrest warrants, officials said.

It was not immediately clear whether they have legal representation. Jail records do not list attorneys for any of the three.

Upchurch was being held on a $1 million bond, Smith on $1.025 million bail and the minor on a half-million-dollar bond, according to jail records.



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