Getty/Heavy Former "Teen Mom" star Ryan Edwards was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in prison on April 20.
Former “Teen Mom” star Ryan Edwards was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in prison on April 20 after police found him “unresponsive and unconscious” in his truck on April 7, according to The Sun, who attended Edwards’ sentencing in atHamilton County Court in Tennessee.
Last month, Judge Gary Starnes ordered Edwards to do 45 days in an Austin, Texas, rehab, but Edwards checked out after two weeks. After he was discovered by authorities — who administered Narcan to revive him.
Edwards’ lawyer admitted that the MTV star violated his probation after he was arrested and police charged him with simple possession of a controlled substance and a DUI, according to court records reviewed by Heavy.
“It appears Mr. Edwards would’ve violated probation by leaving treatment early. Mr. Edwards picked up two new criminal charges,” the attorney said in court, per The Sun. “For the court, given part of the probation violation is these new charges, he’s conceding the violation.”
“He was supposed to be in Austin, Texas. He was admitted March 16 and was discharged April 3,” the judge said, per The Sun.
Edwards has been arrested three times in the last two months, as noted by Us Weekly.
In March, Edwards pleaded guilty to harassment, leading Starnes to place him on probation and send him to rehab for 45 days. At the time, the judge dismissed the charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and stalking in lieu of Edwards seeking treatment and wearing a GPS ankle monitor, according to court records reviewed by Heavy.
The Judge Is ‘Trying to Save’ Edwards
The judge sentenced Edwards to nearly a year in prison, saying he was trying to help — not punish — the father-of-three.
“We all know Mr. Edwards and his family,” the judge said, per The Sun, possibly referring to Edwards’ parents, Jen and Larry Edwards. “He’s a very fine young man.”
“He’s very talented at what he does,” the judge added, per The Sun, referring to the work Edwards does as a metal fabricator. “We’ve all watched him grow up. He is not a bad person. He just got addicted to hardcore drugs.”
The judge said Edwards’ situation was dire.
“He’s an extreme danger to himself, he died on Broad Street and had to be brought back to life,” the judge continued, according to The Sun. “You would’ve been dead. You should realize that. He’s a danger to the public by driving his truck on drugs.”
The judge didn’t sentence Edwards to rehab because he didn’t believe Edwards would stay in treatment.
“Rehab won’t be good because he won’t do it. He needs to grow up, you know that. You have three kids,” he said, according to The Sun. “You may have some problems with your wife, but you have three kids. I’m trying to save your life.”
Edwards is the father of 14-year-old Bentley, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend, “Teen Mom” star Maci Bookout. He also shares two children with his estranged wife, Mackenzie Standifer. They are 4-year-old Jagger and 3-year-old Stella.
The judge might send Edwards to treatment in the future.
“You won’t do it now. It’s because the drug addiction is so strong,” Starns told Edwards, per The Sun. “You can’t do it. 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 at drugs at Silverdale stay away from them.”
Fans Had a Robust Reaction to the Sentencing
After Edwards was sentenced to a year in prison, some viewers on social media claimed the judge was too lenient with Edwards. A thread about his incarceration on Reddit sparked more than 800 comments and over 800 upvotes.
“He’s a fine young man?! What this judge actually means is that Rhine is a young white male from an upstanding white, Christian family. F*** off,” one of the most popular responses said.
“The judge really thinks he’s a good person? He strangled his wife in front of their kids and destroyed all of her and their kid’s possessions. He shoots cats, threatened to shoot the stepfather of his son,” another top answer said.
“I’ve said it time and time again.. the justice system hates women. There are little to no protections for us when it comes to cases like these until it’s too late and we become another dv statistic on an episode of Dateline,” a third person wrote.