Retired judge charged with hitting officer

A retired judge has been accused of striking a police officer in Northampton. W. Michael Ryan, who retired in 2008 after 18 years on the bench, is scheduled to be arraigned today on charges of disorderly conduct and assault and battery on an officer. The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that Ryan was arrested Friday night after an officer on patrol saw him and another man changing a tire in a parking lot. The officer determined the men were intoxicated and told them not to drive. Police said Ryan, 64, refused to show identification and slapped the officer’s hand. Ryan was Northwestern district attorney from 1983 to 1988.