Despite robust clemency record, one high-profile commutation garners Missouri Gov lots of negative headlines

I flagged in this post from this past Thanksgiving that Missouri Gov Mike Parson had devoted considerable resources to processing clemency requests and, as of then, having “denied about 2,400 clemency requests while granting 613 pardons and 20 commutations.”  And this past week, Gov Parson continued his serious clemency work as reported in this March 1 press release: “For the month of February 2024, Governor Mike Parson granted 36 pardons and approved three commutations pursuant to Article IV, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Missouri…. In addition to granting 36 pardons and three commutations, Governor Parson denied 63 clemency applications in February.”

But one high-profile commutation from last week is already getting far more attention than all of Gov Parson’s other clemency work.  Here are the details from this local press report:

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has commuted the sentence for former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid on Friday.  Reid, the son of Chiefs head coach Andy 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 Friday means Reid’s sentence has been reduced.  The governor’s office said Reid will be released, and he will serve the remainder of his sentence, until Oct. 31, 2025, under house arrest.  “Reid has completed his alcohol abuse treatment program and has served more prison time than most individuals convicted of similar offenses,” Parson’s office said in a statement.  Reid will be required to meet with a probation officer weekly, attend behavioral counseling and meetings with a peer support sponsor, and fulfill 30 hours of work a week and 10 hours of community service per month.

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.  Reid hit two parked vehicles on the on-ramp to Interstate 435. Ariel Young, who was 5 years old at the time of the crash, suffered a traumatic brain injury in the wreck…. 

Young’s family disagreed with Reid’s plea deal.  Her mother said she wanted Reid to be sentenced to the maximum of seven years. “Where was he when we were in hell? He wasn’t in jail,” Young’s mother wrote.  For his part, Britt Reid told the judge: “I regret what I did. I made a huge mistake. I apologize to the family. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody that night.”

This commutation is generating all sorts of negative headlines:

From The Daily Beast, “Victim’s Family Slams Gov. for Pardoning NFL Coach’s Son“

From the Kansas City Star, “Mike Parson’s startling commutation of Britt Reid sentence is injustice to Ariel Young“

From KSHB, “Jackson County prosecutor says she believes sentencing of Britt Reid was ‘just’: Family of Ariel Young, those involved in the case not contacted by Parson”

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Missourians react with dismay to Parson’s commuting DWI sentence of former Chiefs coach“