A Timeline of ‘Teen Mom OG’ Star Ryan Edwards’ Legal Troubles and Substance Abuse Struggles

Credit: MTV (4)

A Timeline of ‘Teen Mom OG’ Star Ryan Edwards’ Legal Troubles and Substance Abuse Struggles

Ryan Edwards, who struggles with substance abuse, has been arrested for drug possession multiple times. The Teen Mom OG star shares son Bentley with his ex Maci Bookout. MTV cameras have followed the twosome since Bookout’s 16 and Pregnant episode aired in 2009. After the pair split, Bookout married husband Taylor McKinney in 2016. The couple share daughter Jayde and son Maverick. Edwards, meanwhile, wed wife Mackenzie Standifer in May 2017. She gave birth to their first child together, a son named Jagger, in October 2018 while Edwards was in rehab. Bookout previously spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about coping with Edwards’ drug abuse, noting she and McKinney have “stopped worrying about Ryan and his situation.” “I mean it’s not like we don’t care, but we can’t live our lives constantly thinking about, worrying or questioning a grown man,” she explained in September 2018. “I mean, it’s not what we want our lives to be and so we know what we know and it’s up to the other side to know what they want to know.” Scroll through for a timeline of Edwards’ legal troubles and substance abuse struggles:

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March 2017

Edwards was arrested in March 2017 for heroin possession. According to the police report obtained by Radar Online, officers discovered “approximately 14 hypodermic needles, one of which was loaded with heroin,” in his car at the time of the arrest. The police also found “two silver spoons with residue on them” and 1.8 grams of heroin.

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June 2017

Shocking footage of Edwards falling asleep at the wheel aired during the season 6 finale of Teen Mom OG in June 2017. Bookout also addressed her ex’s struggles on camera during the episode. “He’s an addict,” she said. “He doesn’t care about anything.” 

After the episode aired, Edwards released a statement about checking into a treatment program: “A little over 30 days ago, I made the decision to check myself into a rehabilitation facility. I am back home now doing well, and life could not be better. Without the support of my wife and parents I would not have been able to do this. Thank you all for your well wishes.”

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March 2018

A year after his first arrest for heroin possession, Edwards was arrested for violating his probation in March 2018. The reality TV personality was released on a $5,000 bond at the time. A source told Us exclusively that Edwards’ family and friends were concerned his 2017 stint in rehab was not long enough to properly deal with his addiction. 

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March 2018

Following Edwards’ March 2018 arrest, Bookout and McKinney filed for an order of protection against her ex, claiming he threatened the couple over the phone. “He called me on Tuesday, March 20th, 2018 and threatened to show up at my house and put a bullet in my head,” McKinney said in the court documents. "He has a history of drug abuse. … He has also said he would show up at our son’s baseball game and confront us (my wife and I).”

Along with their two children, Bookout and McKinney were granted a two-year restraining order against Edwards in May 2018.

Credit: Courtesy Mackenzie Standifer/Instagram

April 2018

A source told Us exclusively in April 2018 that a then-pregnant Standifer was in “complete abject denial” about Edwards’ addiction. “Mackenzie only wants to focus on having his baby and seems to be hoping that this will help him to be inspired to live a clean and sober life,” the source said at the time. “Ryan denies the seriousness of the drug addiction, like any addict will do, and Mackenzie chooses to believe him.” 

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July 2018

Edwards was taken into police custody for the second time in 2018 on July 23 for violating probation. He was released from a jail a week after his arrest. A spokesperson for the Hamilton County Jail in Tennessee told Us at the time that Edwards’ first charge for simple possession of heroin “has been dismissed,” and he “was given 11 months and 29 days suspended sentence” for a second count. Edwards was also ordered to complete six months of probation and five public work days by October 1, 2018, and also agreed to six months of random drug testing.

Edwards told E! News that the incident a “misunderstanding” in August 2018.“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,” he claimed. "I didn’t do all of it. I went to jail for not doing all of my community service. 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. It was just a misunderstanding. I thought I had more time.”

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October 2018

Us confirmed in October 2018 that the reality star checked into rehab for the second time a month earlier. Edwards, who was able to Skype in for the birth of Jagger, completed his 90-day treatment and returned home.

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January 2019

Edwards was arrested in January 2019 for for heroin possession and theft. The Hamilton County Jail in Chattanooga, Tennessee, told Us at the time that he was taken into custody for theft of services under $1,000. (TMZ reported that Edwards allegedly walked out of Bud’s Sports Bar in December 2018 without paying for his six Jack Daniel’s whiskeys, which reportedly cost $36.) The Red Bank County clerk’s office also confirmed to Us at the time that the heroin possession charge stemmed from an outstanding warrant.

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January 2019

Edwards will remain in county jail until April 15 after his arrest for heroin possession and theft, the public relations manager for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Matt Lea, confirmed to Us on January 29.

Credit: Courtesy Mackenzie Edwards/Instagram

February 2023

Edwards was arrested after he violated an Order of Protection his wife, Mackenzie, sought out after their ongoing social media drama, according to documents obtained by Us.

At the time of the Teen Mom alum’s arrest, he was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and two bags of suspected narcotics. According to the documents, he was booked on several charges including harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Credit: Courtesy of Teen Mom/Twitter

March 2023

The Teen Mom OG alum was arrested on March 1 for stalking and violating an order of protection, according to a press release from the Hamilton County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Department at the time. 

One day after his arrest, Us obtained legal documents stating that Ryan was ordered in February to have zero contact with his now-estranged wife. However, the former reality star contacted Mackenzie via text message nine days after being notified by the court. He sent her another text on February 23.

Credit: Courtesy of Hamilton County Sheriff's Office

April 2023

Ryan was arrested on April 7 for the third time in two months. Per an arrest affidavit obtained by Us, he was booked for simple possession of a controlled substance and a DUI after being found “unconscious and unresponsive” in the driver’s seat of his truck.

“The vehicle [was] running and in drive,” the document read. “Police observed that the vehicle’s front driver’s side tire hit the curb on the center median where the vehicle then came to a stop.”

The report further stated that “Ryan Edwards advised he snorted a powder before waking up in the back of an ambulance,” the document stated, noting that police found a bag containing "a crystal type substance,” a “second small bag of what appeared to be a blue powder" and a rolled-up paper receipt on his person. He will remain in jail until April 20 and is being held without bond.

Credit: US Sun/Mega

April 2023

Ryan was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in jail after pleading guilty to the harassment charge. His next court date is in June for his possession and DUI charges.