A Texas man who has been in the custody of the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office since his $200,000 bail was revoked back in September for committing a new crime has complied with the terms of a plea agreement and is ready to be sentenced, his attorney says.
Ryan K. Edwards agreed earlier this month to a short prison term followed by probation in order to resolve two felony cases stemming from his conduct in November 2020 while visiting Cochise County. He is waiting for Judge Laura Cardinal to set a sentencing date.
In the first case, Edwards punched a man on Nov. 9 outside a Bisbee restaurant, fracturing the man’s eye socket and nose. Edwards, 32, was quickly identified as the assailant but fled the scene before police arrived. It is believed he drove to Sierra Vista after the incident.
Officers in Sierra Vista did not look for Edwards at the time due to confusion as to whether he was suspected of engaging in a misdemeanor or a felony assault. However, Edwards became the subject of a nationwide alert a few days later when he drove away from a Sierra Vista auto repair shop without paying more than $4,000 for repairs performed on his pickup truck.
Court records show Edwards authorized the rush repairs to his truck the day after the assault in Bisbee. The repairs were finished Nov. 12, at which time Edwards got into the jacked-up truck and began to drive away despite not making payment. Surveillance video shows Edwards put the truck in reverse with the shop manager standing at the tailgate attempting to stop Edwards’ departure.
The manager was able to keep himself from being run over by the oversized truck tires before pulling himself into the bed of the truck just as Edwards made a sharp turn and accelerated. The manager fell out of the truck, suffering a shoulder injury.
Edwards was later taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol on eastbound Interstate 10 at the New Mexico / Arizona state line. He was initially held in the Cochise County jail but posted bonds in both cases so he could return to Texas.
Then on Sept. 17, Judge Cardinal ordered Edwards back to jail after learning he had pleaded guilty to an assault in Texas. That assault occurred while Edwards was awaiting trial in his Arizona cases.
The Cochise County Attorney’s Office conferred with all the victims before participating in a Nov. 5 settlement conference with Edwards in hopes of resolving both cases without trials. The prison-mandatory plea deal was agreed to, subject to Edwards’ attorney advising the court when $5,000 was paid to the repair shop.
Such notice was filed Nov. 11 and a sentencing date will be announced for later this month.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EDWARDS’ CASES HERE