In Britt Reid drunken driving case, court will weigh request for him to drive again

As he faces a criminal charge related to an alleged drunken driving crash that left a 5-year-old girl with a traumatic brain injury, ex-Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid is seeking restoration of his driving privileges to be heard in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Reid, 36, made his first appearance before a judge Thursday afternoon via teleconference alongside his lawyer, J.R. Hobbs, who spoke on Reid’s behalf. The brief hearing dealt mainly with scheduling matters as Reid’s lawyer disclosed their intent to file a motion with the court waiving Reid’s right to a preliminary hearing and sending the case to the district court.

Also discussed was a request for Reid to begin driving again under the condition his vehicle be fitted with a device that checks for alcohol use before allowing the driver to start the engine. The conditions of Reid’s bond currently require that he may not operate a motor vehicle whatsoever.

The state’s lawyer requested time for the victim’s family to be notified of that possibility and consulted.

“That can be taken up once we discuss that with our victim,” said Lauren Berry, an assistant prosecutor in Jackson County.

A hearing on those questions is currently scheduled for June 7.

Reid faces a single felony charge of driving while intoxicated resulting in a serious physical injury. If convicted, he could be punished with up to seven years in prison.

The crash happened the night of Feb. 4 as Reid was entering Interstate 435 from Arrowhead Stadium.

According to court records, Reid struck a Chevy Impala and then rear-ended a Chevy Traverse as the vehicles were parked along the shoulder of the I-435 on-ramp. Felicia Miller, the mother of the severely injured girl, was there helping a relative whose car had died.

Ariel Young, 5, was sitting alone in the backseat of Miller’s Traverse when the SUV was struck by Reid’s pickup truck. The girl was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, including a severe traumatic brain injury and a skull fracture.

Reid told a responding officer he was looking over his left shoulder to evaluate traffic so that he could safely merge. He also said he could not see the car because its lights were off, court records said. He dialed 911 after the crash.

Officers noticed his eyes were bloodshot and red, court records said, and Reid allegedly admitted to drinking not long before he got behind the wheel.

A laboratory test showed Reid’s blood serum alcohol content was estimated to be 0.113 two hours after the crash. The legal limit in Missouri is 0.08.

Reid was the Chiefs linebackers coach for eight seasons until he was quietly let go from the organization when his contract expired days after the crash. He is the son of Andy Reid, the head coach of the Chiefs since 2013.

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