Heavy/Hamilton County Sheriff\'s Office Former "Teen Mom" star Ryan Edwards was sentenced by a judge on March 14.
““Teen Mom” fans are expressing concern after a March 14 hearing where the judge ruled that former star Ryan Edwards won’t be required to serve any jail time. Edwards, 35, pleaded guilty to harassment and the judge dismissed three additional charges — possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, and stalking — as part of a plea deal by Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes, according to court documents reviewed by Heavy. The troubled reality TV star was given a suspended 11-month 29-day sentence for good behavior and was placed on probation for the harassment conviction.
Edwards — who had posted bail on a $5,000 bond — was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device. The monitor alerts his estranged wife, Mackenzie Standifer, if Edwards is close by and in violation of the protective order, according to The Ashley’s Reality Roundup.
Edwards was also ordered to an Austin, Texas, rehab facility for a minimum of 45 days, though the judge recommended he receive treatment for longer, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
“Forty-five days is not going to do anything but detox you,” Starnes said, per the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “You need to stay down there between six months to a year.”
“You’ve been struggling with this a long time… Don’t mess this up,” Starnes warned Edwards, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. “I will not hesitate to revoke your probation.”
According to Us Weekly, Edwards’ mother, Jen, accompanied him to his court date.
The former MTV star was ordered not to communicate with his estranged wife, Mackenzie Standifer, 26, “except as allowed by [the] circuit court,” legal docs reviewed by Heavy stated. Edwards and Standifer share two children, 4-year-old Jagger and 3-year-old Stella.
“No contact with the victim,” Starnes said, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “No social media relating to this victim… You’re all over the news. Everything you say or do on there is going to be published, OK?”
Edwards is scheduled to appear in court again on April 20 for a status hearing, court documents said.
Standifer claimed Edwards threatened her in a February 8 phone call. “Ryan punched holes in the walls and doors. [He] held me up by my neck to the wall. Threw me down in hallway and said if he could not have me no one could,” she said in a sworn affidavit, according to The Sun.
Edwards was arrested on February 10. Police said he violated an order of protection, according to a press release from Hamilton County’s Sheriff’s Office. Authorities discovered the alleged violation after Standifer went to the police, saying Edwards posted an intimate photo of her online and accused her of cheating. Edwards was charged with harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.
He was arrested for a second time on March 1. Police accused him of stalking and violating an order of protection, according to a press release issued by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
Edwards and Standifer have been married since 2017. That same year, Edwards went to rehab to treat his addiction to heroin. Since then, he’s done multiple stints at treatment centers.
Edwards appeared on the first season of “16 and Pregnant” with his ex-girlfriend, Maci Bookout. The former couple shares one child together, 14-year-old Bentley.
Edwards and Standifer starred in “Teen Mom OG” with Bookout until they were fired in 2021. Edwards made a brief return to “Teen Mom: Family Reunion” in 2023 before his arrest.
Fans Were Concerned About the Judge’s Ruling
A Reddit thread about the outcome of the hearing garnered hundreds of responses.
One social media user claimed the judge’s ruling was unfair to Standifer. “The courts fail women and children every godd*** day,” the person wrote.
“Color me shocked. This is how courts work for DV victims, and why so many end up dead,” read another comment. “I give it a month tops before he leaves treatment. And doubt he’ll even get any time then. Another slap on the wrist at most.”
“Everyone will shake their heads and act completely shocked when he inevitably ends up killing someone, dead himself, or both,” a third person wrote. “This is exactly why female victims of domestic abuse have such horrifying statistics.”
Another fan worried Standifer would feel “vulnerable” as a result of the ruling.
“She has been failed by the legal system, and i dread to think how vulnerable she feels,” the person wrote. “They could have used this case in the public eye as an example that domestic violence will not be accepted in society, and the legel [sic] system will protect those who are victims of it.”
Standifer Filed for Divorce
Standifer filed for divorce from Edwards on February 27 after six years of marriage, according to documents obtained by Us Weekly and The Ashley’s Reality Roundup.
She was also granted temporary custody of their two children, Us Weekly reported, citing court documents.
The divorce comes after Standifer accused Edwards of abusing her.
Edwards also posted multiple disparaging comments about Standifer on Instagram.
“How do i find the laziest fakest pos person that still uses my name to make money and still can’t manage to take care of the responsibility you walk out on,” he wrote on March 11, according to a screenshot obtained by Heavy. “Now I see why you have problems bc you cant stand to hear the truth. Pos go be a mother and not s**t.”
A month earlier, he went on another online tirade.
“If you guys have ever seen a spineless s*** this is one,” he wrote in a since-deleted post, shared via Reddit. “They take your money. Sleep with anything that looks at them. But they must have a wife to. God what a joke. It’s sad really”.