About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode Master Class from Small Town Dicks covers an investigation that begins when a high school teacher makes a troubling admission to her therapist. Detective Ryan is brought onto the case and faces a field of more than a hundred potential suspects. An interview scheduled purely for convenience ends up producing a major break, setting the rest of the investigation in motion.
As evidence is gathered and pieced together, the case unfolds into a disturbing account of blurred boundaries, abuse of trust, and decisions with lasting consequences. The investigation centers on how a position of authority in a school setting was exploited, and how methodical detective work exposed the extent of what had happened.
Detective Ryan brings 15 years of law enforcement experience to the account, having started as a patrol deputy before moving into investigations, including work in a Crimes Against Children unit handling sensitive abuse and exploitation cases. He later held leadership roles in patrol services, special investigations, and the Training Division, where he helped build his agency's training academy. He also spent six years on his agency's Crisis Negotiations Team, eventually leading it. Ryan comes from a multi-generational law enforcement family, with his father serving over 40 years in the field. He currently serves as a shift commander on patrol and oversees field training in his district.
Hosts and release
The hosts are Yeardley Smith and Detective Dan on Small Town Dicks, a true crime podcast built around in-depth investigations and stories from small towns across the United States. This episode runs 68 minutes.
