Missouri lawmakers push back on Parson lessening Britt Reid sentence
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — It’s been a week since Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commuted the sentence of Britt Reid, son of Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
Lawmakers on both sides said they disagree with the decision.
Britt Reid pleaded guilty in 2022 to driving while intoxicated, resulting in a crash that seriously injured then-5-year-old Ariel Young.
He was then sentenced to three years in prison. But Parson’s move last week reduced Reid’s sentence, releasing him under house arrest until Oct. 31, 2025.
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Parson’s office said Reid completed his alcohol abuse treatment program and served more prison time than most people convicted of similar offenses.
But Missouri’s Republican governor has faced criticism for the decision.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Parson failed to contact Young’s family before commuting Reid’s sentence, but a spokesperson for Parson’s office said that’s not part of the clemency process.
In a statement earlier this week, Parson offered his “deepest sympathy” to the girl’s family but stopped short of apologizing for his decision.
On Friday, Missouri lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle also pushed back against the move.
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“That particular instance I think was fairly egregious. I think there are other people … a lot of other people that are probably in similar predicaments with similar charges that probably aren’t going to receive the same treatment,” Missouri Senate President Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, said.
“I wish he wouldn’t have done it,” state Sen. John Rizzo, D-Independence, said. “It’s a little more difficult for me because I actually had a cousin die in a drinking and driving accident when I was young, and it kind of rehashed some of that for me, which is not fun.
“But I don’t think it was an appropriate thing, and I think he should have done more to brace the family for what he was about to do.”
“I cannot imagine the pain this must cause to the family of the victim, an innocent 5-year-old girl whose life is forever changed. This is not justice,” said state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, in a post on X.
