Seven female victims between ages 13-21 said Ryan Williams, 43, called them in for unneeded X-Rays of their chests

By Gregory Orear

General Manager/Editor

TROY – A Warren County judge sentenced a former medical technician at Mercy Hospital in Troy to 12 years in prison for performing unnecessary medical tests to female patients.

Ryan E. Williams, 43, pleaded guilty in April to seven counts of invasion of privacy, admitting he had taken fake X-rays of female patients while working as a medical technician at Mercy Hospital in Troy.

Associate Court Judge Kathleen Joyce sentenced him to 12 years on the seven Class E felonies. As per terms of the guilty plea, the most she could have sentenced him was 15 years.

Before Friday’s sentencing, Williams’ attorney, William Marsh, filed a memo with the court requesting probation for his client.

“There is a saying in the criminal legal system that the process itself is the punishment. As someone who has been on a restrictive bond for the last five years, Ryan Williams can attest to the truth of this statement,” Marsh wrote. “Primarily housebound for half a decade, Ryan’s ability to provide and care for his fiancé and their three young children has been limited, as has his ability to look after his invalid mother. This has not only wounded his pride, but also his sense of duty as a man who sees his obligations to family as tantamount.”

His brother, whose name was redacted, submitted a similar letter of support, stating he never saw Ryan “smoke, drink, do any drugs, or get in fights” and that he once saved his life while swimming.

“Ryan has always been a brother to look up to. He was consistently doing things to make me admire and strive to be like him,” his brother wrote. “I even chose the same career path because of the impact he made on people, both patients and former coworkers, (who to this day continue to attest to his knowledge, skills, and compassion) and I wanted to be like Ryan.”

His brother added others wanted to publicly support Williams but couldn’t.

“Following the news of this case, I received a lot of verbal support and text messages from people recalling numerous times he made an impact on people’s well-being, even physicians who recall errors they made that he caught for them,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, many of these people have been instructed by their employer to not voice their opinion or have any contact with him, their support still stands.”

According to investigators, Williams worked as a medical technician for 18 years, including the last four in Troy.

On Oct. 3, 2021, a female victim was directed by her primary care physician to get a chest x-ray at urgent care in the Troy hospital.

Later that evening, she received a call from Williams indicating there were concerns and she needed to return for a follow-up exam.

After the woman returned that evening, Williams took her into an exam room where she was given a gown to wear. Williams then lifted up her gown, exposing her chest and he touched her breasts while placing stickers there for the CT scan.

After she got dressed, Williams showed the victim the scan and said her doctor was concerned she had lymphoma.

But two days later, when she asked her doctor about the scan, he indicated there was no history of one being performed.

Williams was arrested a few days later and fired by Mercy.

A subsequent investigation revealed Williams had been searching hospital records of non-elderly adult women with potential health issues involving their private parts, court records indicate.  

The investigation consequently identified six other victims, according to prosecutor Mike Wood. He said Williams contacted all six and set up similar unordered chest X-rays.

The ages of the seven victims ranged from 13-21 years of age.

After sentencing, Williams was processed into the Lincoln County Jail where he will remain until he is transferred to a facility with the Department of Corrections.