Gov. Parson did not contact victim’s family before commuting Britt Reid: prosecutor
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker released a statement on Saturday regarding Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s decision to commute the sentence for Britt Reid, the former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach and son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
Britt Reid pleaded guilty in 2022 to driving while intoxicated, resulting in a crash that seriously injured then-5-year-old Ariel Young.
Reid was sentenced to three years in prison but since Parson commuted that on Friday, Reid will instead spend until Oct. 31, 2025, under house arrest.
Ex-Chiefs coach Britt Reid sentenced to prison in DWI crash
In Peters Baker’s statement on Saturday, she detailed why she believed the original 3-year prison sentence was “just”, and added that Parson failed to contact Young’s family before commuting Reid’s sentence.
“The Governor did not contact anyone who handled this case, or those directly impacted, including Ariel’s family. There simply can be no response that explains away the failure to notify victims of the offender.”
Court documents show Reid was intoxicated with a blood alcohol level of .113 and driving about 84 mph at the time of the crash near Arrowhead Stadium in February 2021. The speed limit in that area is 65 mph.
Full statement from Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker:
I believed that the court’s sentence of 3 years imprisonment for Britt Reid was a just sentence. Leaving the courtroom, I believed that the interests of justice were served after a sentencing hearing on the merits. The Court carefully considered the evidence and the harm to our 5-year-old victim, Ariel, and her family. It also properly considered the unlawful behavior of the defendant, a repeat offender in other states who chose again to drive while intoxicated. I believe that this was a tragic case for the Court to weigh, and I am grateful for the judge’s thoughtful and deliberate decision-making.
I had believed that the sentence was an example for others that even those with resources and privilege were not above the law.
The Governor did not contact anyone who handled this case, or those directly impacted, including Ariel’s family. There simply can be no response that explains away the failure to notify victims of the offender. To Ariel’s family, I offered my resolve to continue to fight for just sentences for those who injure others due to the reckless decision to drink alcohol and operate a motor vehicle.
We are reminded that this governor did not use his political power to commute the sentence of Kevin Strickland and Lamar Johnson. He used his political power to free a man with status, privilege and connections. Both Kevin and Lamar are freed today under the rule of law, but only after difficult battles to gain their freedom.
Finally, to my community, I simply say I am saddened by the self-serving political actions of the Governor and the resulting harm that it brings to the system of justice. But my office will fight for just outcomes regardless of social status, privilege or one’s connections. This system of justice still stands and will prevail over any fleeting political knock. Of this I am certain.
