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Ex-Kansas City Chiefs assistant has sentence commuted after severely injuring child in DUI crash

Britt Reid, the son of Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, will now be on house arrest instead of spending time in prison

Amelia Neath
Monday 04 March 2024 14:00 GMT
Ariel Young, girl injured in crash involving Britt Reid, likely has permanent brain damage, says attorney

The former assistant coach for the Kansas City Chiefs has had his sentence commuted by Missouri governor Mike Parson after he was jailed for a DUI crash that seriously injured a young girl.

Mr Parson commuted Britt Reid’s sentence on Friday, and the ex-assistant coach’s prison sentence has now been turned into house arrest, subject to certain conditions.

Reid, 38, the son of Andy Reid, the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, was sentenced to three years in November 2022 after he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury.

The decision to shorten Reid’s sentence was made by the governor after he considered several factors, Mr Parson’s spokesperson said.

“Reid had completed his alcohol abuse treatment program and has served more prison time than most individuals convicted of similar offences,” said Johnathan Shiflett, Mr Parson’s spokesperson, according to the Associated Press.

Reid’s house arrest conditions, which will continue until 31 October 2025, include weekly meetings with a parole officer and a peer support sponsor, and he will have to attend behavioural counselling, the outlet reported.

Reid will also be required to work at least 30 hours a week and complete 10 hours of community service a month, among other conditions.

Reid was driving around 84mph while intoxicated when his truck hit multiple cars near Interstate 435 and Stadium Drive, near Arrowhead Stadium, on 4 February 2021, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office.

Inside one of these cars was five-year-old Ariel Young, who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury as a result.

Britt Reid’s sentence was commuted by Missouri governor Mike Parson
Britt Reid’s sentence was commuted by Missouri governor Mike Parson (AP)

Police found that Reid’s blood alcohol level was 0.113 per cent two hours after the crash. The legal limit is 0.08 per cent.

A total of six people, including Reid, were injured during the incident. One of the vehicles he hit was stalled due to a dead battery, and another was owned by Ariel’s mother, who arrived to help, the Associated Press reported.

Following the crash, Reid was put on leave until the expiration of his contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

An attorney for Ariel’s family told CBS News in a statement on Saturday that “the family of Ariel Young is horrified and disgusted by the governor’s decision to pardon this criminal. This is a slap in the face to a young girl who was in a coma for eight days and continues to endure the effects of the defendant’s actions. All privileged people who do not obey the laws of the state of Missouri should be encouraged by the governor’s actions”.

J.R. Hobbs, Reid’s attorney, told The Independent that they have no further comment on the commutation.

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