Monday, September 07, 2015

Butler Assistant Police Chief Arrested For Drunk Driving

Butler University's Assistance Police Chief Andrew Ryan was arrested Saturday night following a traffic collision on suspicion of drunk driving according to knowledgeable police sources. Court records confirm Ryan was booked by police on September 6 for two unspecified counts. A cash bond was set for $150. Ryan's initial court appearance is scheduled for September 10 at 9:00 a.m. There was also a 72-hour hold placed on his case. See mycase.in.gov (Case No. 49G12-1509-MC-031658)

A source tells Advance Indiana that Ryan blew a 0.27 on a portable breathalyzer test. A fellow Butler assistant police chief, John Conley, was reportedly awaiting Ryan's arrival at the Arrestee Processing Center when he was taken into custody. Conley is a former IMPD commander who retired last year. Both report to Ben Hunter, the university's Director of Public Safety who is also a Republican member of the Indianapolis City-County Council. Butler Police are notorious for arresting motorists on Indianapolis' north side near the campus for speeding and drunk driving.

UPDATE: The Indianapolis Star now has a report up confirming Ryan's arrest. The news story even acknowledges the arrest was first reported on this blog. The story notes that the Marion Co. Prosecutor's Office has not yet filed formal charges in the case:
An assistant police chief at Butler University was arrested Saturday on suspicion of driving drunk with a blood alcohol content of .27, a police report notes.
A Butler spokesman confirmed that police arrested Assistant Chief Andrew Ryan, 52, around 6:15 p.m. on the Eastside after a crash.
The police report states Ryan was driving near the intersection of North Arlington Avenue and East Washington Street when he turned his car in front of another vehicle, colliding with it.
News of the arrest was first noted by Gary R. Welsh on his Advance Indiana blog.
Ryan failed two field sobriety tests, the police report notes. A breath test indicated a blood alcohol content of more than three times the legal limit.
The driver of the other vehicle injured her hand.
Marc Allan, the Butler University spokesman, said the university is still collecting information about the arrest.
“We take this situation very seriously,” Allan said.
Ryan’s employment status at the university was not immediately available.
Ryan was booked in the Marion County Jail on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He was released after posting bail on Sunday . . . 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hunter was also a member of IMPD until he resigned to take the Butler position.

Anonymous said...

The scariest thing about Butler "cops" is they are employees of a private corporation but exercising government power.

You wouldn't ever do anything a McDonald's employee says, and you would shoot one dead if the employee pulled a gun on you, but employees of the Butler University Corporation think anyone would ever listen to anything they said?

Butler needs a reality check.

Eric Morris said...

Anon 9:29: I agree with you since it is government granted power, but I really wish that there were no government cops nor powers to be granted and all property owners had to procure their own protective services.

Anonymous said...

He blew a .27? That's IU territory!

Anonymous said...

Airport PD??? No board of works or merit board. No perf pension much the same. Chief former IPD friends with Hunter

Anonymous said...

The university is very slow to put out an official statement on the arrest of the man who is their top cop since Hunter became the president's chief of staff.

Anonymous said...

No Anon 9:29p YOU need a reality check...look at Indiana statute. And if you dont like it, change it.

Anonymous said...

Cops being cops. Unless he was coming home from a politcal rally,
this ain't news according to Jim Shella.

Anonymous said...

1:12,

You're going to need to do a lot better than a statute to keep people from doing the right thing.

If you don't like right and wrong, you aren't going to fix it with a statute.

Sounds like you need a personal reality check and attitude adjustment.

Anonymous said...

anon 9:05 - now THAT'S funny!

As for Jim Shella, his is a hack.