Last month, Ryan Edwards was arrested for the third time in less than 18 months.
This time around, local authorities were understandably less confident in Ryan’s ability to keep from messing up again, so they held him in police custody for a week.
These days, however, he’s a free man — for the time being.
Ryan is due back in court on August 23, and if he’s convicted for his latest probation violation, he could face up to a year in prison.
So it’s a bit surprising that the usually press-shy Ryan has decided to speak to the media about his legal troubles.
His lawyers probably weren’t crazy about the decision, but if we’ve learned anything about Ryan over these past two years, it’s that the man is not big on following rules:
Hard Times
On July 23, Ryan was taken into police custody after being pulled over for speeding. As this was a violation of his probation, he was held without bail.
An Unexpected Release
While it was expected that he would be held until his court date, Ryan was released from jail in the wee hours of August 2.
A Slap on the Wrist
To the surprise of many — including, probably, himself — Ryan received a suspended sentence and six months of additional probation for failing a court-ordered drug test earlier this year. But he’s not out of the woods yet …
Not Out of the Woods
Ryan still has plenty of legal headaches ahead of him. In July, he was taken into custody not only for speeding but for failing to complete his last round of community service.
Spilling the Tea
Now, Ryan is speaking out about his most recent brush with the law, and he’s being much more straightforward about the ordeal than many fans expected.
What Did You Expect?
Of course, this is still Ryan we’re talking about, so he couldn’t stop himself from making excuses to justify his behavior…
Copping to the Cops
“I got a speeding ticket and while I was pulled over, it came up that I was in violation of my probation because the community service had not been completed,” Ryan told E! News today.
Ryan Style
“I didn’t do all of it. I went to jail for not doing all of my community service,” Ryan adds. He’s off to a decent start here. At least accepting partial responsibility for what he’s done.
A Likely Story
“It’s not that I wasn’t taking the community service seriously, it’s just that we have so much going on, I didn’t realize the deadline had passed,” Edwards continued.
A Big Misunderstanding
“It was just a misunderstanding,” Edwards said. “I thought I had more time.” Generally not the kind of story judges are interested in hearing, but who knows? He is white and semi-famous, after all.
The Downplayer
“It was the fact that I got pulled over and had not completed my community service,” Ryan added, basically shrugging off the whole situation as no big deal.
An Important Distinction
Ryan was mostly making excuses for his irresponsible behavior, but he did make one important point about his latest arrest.
No Possession
“The only drug-related charge was the original one from two years ago, from before I went to rehab,” Ryan said. “There is nothing new that is drug-related.”
A Fair Point
Yes, Ryan was not tried for possession this time around, which means as far as we know, he is still sober.
Mackenzie’s Stance
And how does Ryan’s wife feel about all this? Well, as usual, Standifer has chosen to stand by her man.
Just a Few Mistakes
“Ryan is my husband,” Mackenzie told E! News. “Yes, he’s made some mistakes but we are moving past them. He has my full support.” Like the drug thing, the Tinder thing, the dog-killing thing, and …
Lesson Learned
As for his time behind bars, it clearly resonated on some level. Ryan says it was a frightening preview of what lies ahead if he doesn’t change his ways and ASAP.
Long Days
“Jail was slow,” he said, in perhaps his most revealing comment about the incident. “The days were long. It was really hard to be away from my family. Without a doubt, it was a learning experience.”
Persistent Optimism
These days, Ryan is serving his probation while nursing a broken ankle (he says he tripped over the family dog), but he has high hopes for the future. “I’ll be done six months from now,” Edwards says of his legal woes. We wish him the best of luck, but only if he’s truly committed to turning his life around will he ever be “done” with his checkered past.