Kansas City, KS- Former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of driving while intoxicated. The charge, a class D felony, stems from a vehicle crash in February 2021 that left a 5-year-old with a traumatic brain injury.
In exchange for the guilty plea, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office recommended no more than four years behind bars for Reid, the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. A judge will hand down Reid’s sentence on Oct. 28.
Jackson County attorney Brady Twenter said the sentencing recommendation was based on a review of similar cases, and a four-year maximum sentence would be “in the best interests of justice.” Because it’s only a recommendation, Reid could still receive the seven-year maximum prison sentence.
Altogether, five people, besides Reid, were injured as a result of the collision between the Dodge Ram truck that Reid was driving and two vehicles on the shoulder of a ramp of Interstate 435, near Arrowhead Stadium. The crash happened after 9 p.m. on February 4, 2021, three days before the Kansas City Chiefs played in Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
The Chiefs placed Reid on administrative leave after the crash. Following their loss in Tampa, they did not sign him to a new contract.
Several of the victim’s family members were in the courtroom Monday, wearing white shirts with the phrase “Justice for Ariel” emblazoned in gold on the front.
When asked in the courtroom about the sentencing terms, Felicia Miller, who identified herself as the mother of Ariel Young, said, “We’re not OK with it.”
After the hearing, Tom Porto, an attorney for the family, said in a statement that “the five victims of this crime are relieved that the defendant has chosen to plead guilty and are hopeful that the defendant receives the maximum sentence allowable by law.”
“I really regret what I did,” Reid, 37, told the judge before entering his guilty plea. Reid also offered an apology to the family, and added: “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”
Last November, the Chiefs reached a settlement with Young’s family that will provide her with lifelong medical care.
It was determined from an investigation at the scene that the truck Reid was driving struck the first vehicle at about 83 mph, then struck the second one, in which Young was riding, at about 67 mph.
His blood alcohol level at the time of the collision was determined to be 0.11. In Missouri, non-commercial drivers over the age of 21 are considered legally drunk when their blood alcohol level is 0.08 or more.
Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Charles McKenzie did not allow the media to use any electronic recording devices in the courtroom.
Reid’s guilty plea will avert a trial that had been scheduled to start later this month.
