As a Texas Ranger, Ryan worked many cases that made him well known not only throughout the state, but throughout the nation. He is most notable for his arrest of serial killerHenry Lee Lucas,[1] but also was the Texas Ranger assigned to the Ricky Lee and Sharon Green case, two of the most notorious serial killers in Wise County, Texas history.[2]
Wise County Sheriff
After retiring from law enforcement, Ryan entered the private sector, but this would only last for a short time. In 1992, Ryan began his campaign for Wise County Sheriff, running on the Democratic ballot. On March 20, 1992, he took his oath of office for the first of three terms as sheriff. Under his leadership, the department instituted a new crime prevention division, implemented a county-wide Crime Stoppers program,[3] and improved information technology.
Walker, Texas Ranger
Ryan was a technical consultant to the CBStelevision series, Walker, Texas Ranger, starring Chuck Norris. He briefly appeared in Little Texas' "God Blessed Texas" video with two other Texas Rangers. He also appeared extensively in the 1995 documentary film, The Serial Killers and the 1995 television documentary Henry Lee Lucas: The Confession Killer.[4]
Personal life
Ryan has been married four times. He has three children from his first marriage, Phillip Ryan Jr., a police officer in East Texas and former Texas death row prison guard,[5] Ronda Ryan Schweiger of Decatur, Texas, and Daryle Ryan, a former San Antonio police officer. As of May 2023, he is retired in Decatur, Texas, where he is a security consultant to private businesses.