Judge rules

With the defense exposing some of the potential weaknesses in the state’s case, attorneys on both sides took a break Wednesday afternoon and negotiated behind the scenes and announced their resolution when they returned on the record in open court.

Ryland remains charged with separate counts of sexual assault that could lead to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted, but the judge ordered him to be released from jail onto electronically monitored home detention effective Thursday morning.

Other conditions of release prohibit Ryland from committing new offenses during his pretrial release, and he also has been barred from making contact with either victim and must not possess a firearm or other dangerous weapon. Furthermore, Ryland during his pretrial release is not allowed to consume excessive amounts of alcohol and is prohibited from using any narcotics without a valid prescription.

The home detention means that Ryland is only allowed to leave his home for visits to meet with his attorneys, to attend medical appointments or to attend any required court appearances, including any required visits to the Pretrial Services Program.

Judge Billmeier imposed Ryland’s conditions of release about 4:20 p.m. Wednesday and scheduled a pre-indictment conference for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 18. With his DNA on file and the fact that authorities will analyze whether it links Ryland to either assault — the cases could be dismissed if the state has insufficient evidence to proceed with prosecution.

Ryland has been suspended without pay from his county corrections job while his criminal cases play out.