Former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison for driving while intoxicated. Reid, who is the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, caused a three-vehicle crash that severely injured a 5-year-old girl.
Reid, 37, had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of drunk driving.
Reid was driving a pickup truck at nearly 85 mph on February 4, 2021, when he plowed into two vehicles on the side of the entrance ramp of I-435 near Arrowhead Stadium. The crash left Ariel Young, who was 5 at the time, permanently impaired as the result of a brain injury.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Reid apologized to the family, fighting back tears as he turned to the family and said the crash was “something I’ve struggled with.”
In a statement provided by his attorney after the ruling, Reid said "he sincerely regrets and accepts responsibility for his conduct and hopes and prays for A.Y.'s continued recovery."
The maximum penalty for a felony drunk driving charge is seven years, something the family had been looking for.
The family was “outraged” the maximum sentence wasn’t given, according to a statement released by Tom Porto, the family’s attorney.
"No amount of prison time will ever be enough to punish the Defendant for the pain and suffering he caused this family, and the ongoing difficulties that Ariel will continue to endure for the rest of her life. She will endure. She will strive and she will thrive," the statement read.
Both sides presented their arguments before Circuit Court Judge Charles McKenzie announced the sentence. Ariel Young watched with her family from the front row of the public seating area.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker asked McKenzie to consider three choices that Reid made on the night of the crash: to drink, to drive while drunk and to speed.
“The family has no choice but to live with it,” Baker said.
Baker concluded by telling McKenzie that Reid’s conduct was “not tolerable.” She referred to Young as “the little girl that sits over my shoulder.”
Reid’s defense attorney, J.R. Hobbs, said Reid had stayed out of further trouble and cited his cooperation by pleading guilty to avoid a prolonged trial.
McKenzie took nearly an hour to review documents presented by each side in the case. Prosecutors were seeking a four-year sentence. Hobbs argued for probation. After imposing his sentence, McKenzie ordered Reid to be immediately placed in custody and denied probation.
Meghan Carter, of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, traveled to Kansas City from St. Louis to attend the sentencing hearing.
“While three years is a better sentence than we had anticipated because we were coming in thinking it would be probation, there’s still never going to be enough justice for what her family and what Ariel will live with forever,” she said.
After both sides presented their arguments, Reid said he would dedicate his life to “doing my part” to help others to prevent future tragedies.
After announcing his sentence, McKenzie said he hopes Reid follows through on that promise — after his sentence is completed.
Speaking from the bench, McKenzie addressed Ariel Young directly. “I’m sorry this happened to you,” he said.
