Andy Reid’s son admits drinking before accident that severely injured child [edited title]

[Bill from NYC]

19 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I dunno.  I'm not a police officer.  We have several police officers here. 

 

What interests me is the phrase in the warrant for the blood draw "a computer check revealed ... multiple prior DUI contacts"

 

I think that means Britt Reid has been pulled over in KC multiple times on suspicion of DUI but for some reason, never charged or prosecuted.

 

I doubt the bolded, unless things have changed dramatically in recent times.

 

For example: You are a police officer in a marked vehicle. The car in front of you swerves. You think that he might be intox and pull him over. It turns out that he dropped something on the floor and reached for it, thus causing the vehicle to swerve. Now, he can be issued a summons for something like crossing the lines in the pavement, but nothing on paper would indicate suspicion of DUI was why he was pulled over, unless the officer noted it for court records. Even at that, the motorist was never in custody and this would only explain the reason for the car stop, IF the summons went to court.

 

I don't know if the man was ever pulled over intox and let go. I would hope that he was not. It would be horrible to unleash a stoned out driver on society, and the personal consequences for the officer would be devestating, to include dismissal and the loss of a very sweet pension and for what gain?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

8 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

I doubt the bolded, unless things have changed dramatically in recent times.

 

For example: You are a police officer in a marked vehicle. The car in front of you swerves. You think that he might be intox and pull him over. It turns out that he dropped something on the floor and reached for it, thus causing the vehicle to swerve. Now, he can be issued a summons for something like crossing the lines in the pavement, but nothing on paper would indicate suspicion of DUI was why he was pulled over, unless the officer noted it for court records. Even at that, the motorist was never in custody and this would only explain the reason for the car stop, IF the summons went to court.

 

I don't know if the man was ever pulled over intox and let go. I would hope that he was not. It would be horrible to unleash a stoned out driver on society, and the personal consequences for the officer would be devestating, to include dismissal and the loss of a very sweet pension and for what gain?

 

Thanks for weighing in, Bill.  I love your response.  No seriously, it gives me hope.  I'd like to believe this is true.

 

Yet I do believe it happens regularly around Midwestern/Southern College Towns where football is HUUUUUGE and even in small Midwestern towns like the one where my spouse grew up.  Certain families have money and influence and get favors in those places.  Too many stories for none to be true.  🤷‍♂️ 

 

If the officer says something like, "OK, you call for a ride and I'll write this stop as a disabled vehicle assist" he's still taken a stoned driver off the road?

 

There's also the case where the officer does everything he or she should, collects evidence, and the case still gets dismissed or charges reduced higher-up for whatever reason?

 

I dunno.  In your experience, what do you think "a computer check revealed ... multiple prior DUI contacts" means?

 

 

[JohnC]

51 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

I doubt the bolded, unless things have changed dramatically in recent times.

 

For example: You are a police officer in a marked vehicle. The car in front of you swerves. You think that he might be intox and pull him over. It turns out that he dropped something on the floor and reached for it, thus causing the vehicle to swerve. Now, he can be issued a summons for something like crossing the lines in the pavement, but nothing on paper would indicate suspicion of DUI was why he was pulled over, unless the officer noted it for court records. Even at that, the motorist was never in custody and this would only explain the reason for the car stop, IF the summons went to court.

 

I don't know if the man was ever pulled over intox and let go. I would hope that he was not. It would be horrible to unleash a stoned out driver on society, and the personal consequences for the officer would be devestating, to include dismissal and the loss of a very sweet pension and for what gain?

(You are spot on. Everything you stated follows the protocol most jurisdictions have.) In the DC jurisdiction if as in your example you suspected the person was impaired you would make the stop an issue a ticket/s for the driving violations. That would provide you the probability for the stop and ability to check the condition of the driver. If you observed blood shot eyes, slurring of speech etc. you can then take the next step of a sobriety test such as eyes following your finger, repeat alphabet, walk a straight line etc. If he failed the sobriety test you can then request a blood alcohol test to determine the level of alcohol in his system. The driver has a right to decline but he can be arrested and have an automatic license suspension. In order to get a blood alcohol test for a declining driver a court order would have to be issued. In this case there shouldn't be any problem getting approval because of the serious injuries involved in the accident. 

 

You bring up an intriguing question about the prior suspicions of DUI being revealed in the computer check. One explanation might be that he was previously arrested for DUI charges but before going to trial a plea agreement of a lower charge was made with the court.  The initial DUI charge/s before being lowered in court probably still are in the computer record. 

 

I agree with you that it would be reckless and foolish to let any person involved in an intoxication driving case to be let go. The officer would be placing himself in jeopardy by not only placing the public at risk but also exhibiting favoritism in enforcing the law. As you noted your career would be in jeopardy. 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/07/us/britt-reid-crash-kansas-city/index.html

[Seventeen]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

What interests me is the phrase in the warrant for the blood draw "a computer check revealed ... multiple prior DUI contacts"

 

I think that means Britt Reid has been pulled over in KC multiple times on suspicion of DUI but for some reason, never charged or prosecuted.

 

 

Couldn't this also mean that Pennsylvania has reciprocity with Missouri and his previous DUI convictions show up in the system ? 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Thanks for weighing in, Bill.  I love your response.  No seriously, it gives me hope.  I'd like to believe this is true.

 

Yet I do believe it happens regularly around Midwestern/Southern College Towns where football is HUUUUUGE and even in small Midwestern towns like the one where my spouse grew up.  Certain families have money and influence and get favors in those places.  Too many stories for none to be true.  🤷‍♂️ 

 

If the officer says something like, "OK, you call for a ride and I'll write this stop as a disabled vehicle assist" he's still taken a stoned driver off the road?

 

There's also the case where the officer does everything he or she should, collects evidence, and the case still gets dismissed or charges reduced higher-up for whatever reason?

 

I dunno.  In your experience, what do you think "a computer check revealed ... multiple prior DUI contacts" means?

 

 

You can be charged with DUI type charges but when you go to court a lower plea agreement could have been made with the prosecution. Sometimes there are minor missteps on the police side of the arrest so the prosecutor would be amenable to a deal. And sometimes the court system is so overwhelmed with cases that it is willing to agree to lower charges for some less egregious violators so more resources can be directed to the more serious cases. And as you observed sometimes who you know factors in to how you are treated for what you did. Needless to say it is not a perfect system. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

12 minutes ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

Couldn't this also mean that Pennsylvania has reciprocity with Missouri and his previous DUI convictions show up in the system ? 

 

Wouldn't those show as actual convictions, though, and not "suspicion of DUI"?

 

19 minutes ago, JohnC said:

You bring up an intriguing question about the prior suspicions of DUI being revealed in the computer check. One explanation might be that he was previously arrested for DUI charges but before going to trial a plea agreement of a lower charge was made with the court.  The initial DUI charge/s before being lowered in court probably still are in the computer record.

 

OK, so the knowledgeable thinking here about what that phrase means is that he was stopped/arrested for DUI but had a plea agreement for reduced charges?

[JohnNord]

3 hours ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

IIRC, Britt Reid was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance attributable to ADHD. He relapsed quite a few times so I suspect Andy and his wife were wiling to try anything to keep him from overdosing like their other son. I have no idea about the other ways to treat ADHD so I'll take your word on it. 

 

As Hapless said above, they are most likely waiting on the BAC from his blood and also he was admitted to the hospital as well. 

Many of the ADHD symptoms change as people get older.  So things like hyperactivity and impulsiveness aren’t as bad of an issue with adults as they can be in children.  His past, does make we wonder whether he truly needed or if he wanted it for recreational use.  
 

And if the Reids were cool with him drinking thinking “well at least he won’t overdose.”  Then they are enablers and bear some of the responsibility for what happened.

 

Of course, having an addict for a child probably puts you in a terrible position 

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Wouldn't those show as actual convictions, though, and not "suspicion of DUI"?

 

 

OK, so the knowledgeable thinking here about what that phrase means is that he was stopped/arrested for DUI but had a plea agreement for reduced charges?

That's my belief. His court case file would indicate the initial charges. When the case was closed with a lower plea agreement the case file would still show what the initial charges were and what the final plea/lower charges were. In the traffic court arena or at any court level there is nothing unusual for defense attorneys to get their client's charges lowered. That's how the system works. The reality is that the court has a limited capacity to hear cases. 

 

In cases where there are previous multiple driving alcohol offenses that should be a red flag for the court to be more strict and less lenient towards the accused. 

[Seventeen]

8 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

Many of the ADHD symptoms change as people get older.  So things like hyperactivity and impulsiveness aren’t as bad of an issue with adults as they can be in children.  His past, does make we wonder whether he truly needed or if he wanted it for recreational use.  
 

And if the Reids were cool with him drinking thinking “well at least he won’t overdose.”  Then they are enablers and bear some of the responsibility for what happened.

 

Of course, having an addict for a child probably puts you in a terrible position 

 

I doubt the Reids are cool with Britt Reid drinking as they are Mormons. Britt is 35 now and should be able to function in society without his parents watching his every move. I suspect he was hiding his drinking from Andy and the rest of the family. 

[TheFunPolice]

Andy Reid has 5 children. If people want to say that he (and his wife, I suppose) are "bad parents" and it's their fault that 2 of their sons suffer(ed) from mental illness and drug addiction issues then how do you explain the fact that you have never heard a thing about the other 3?

 

This topic is serious stuff that doesn't lend itself to tweets or 1 liners.

 

Ignorance leads many to judge. In this case, if you have never been through this or seen someone go through it, thank God for your ignorance. Trust me on that. 

 

It means that you've never gone to the ends of the earth and driven yourself crazy trying to help a family member or friend who suffers with addiction. A lot of times you have 2 choices:

 

1) walk away and let whatever happens happen, and live with that fact when the inevitable happens 

2) do everything you can, and accept that you will likely be some combination of disappointed, heartbroken, and angry on a regular basis

 

Andy Reid, like a lot of us, have chosen #2, because we love the person. And we have a duty to try to help family and friends. You don't turn your back on those in your life who are in need. On some level, we hope that maybe we can fix things.

 

If we just try harder, be there more... We can fix it....

 

We all know someone, and if you don't, like I said above, consider yourself lucky and try not to judge what you do not understand. 

 

I saw someone I know go through this as a parent. It's anguish and pain on a level you cannot fathom. 

 

Everything can look good for so long. This time is different! You got your kid help, she went to rehab. She got out and got herself a job, starting going to church... Started focusing on being healthier.. You and your wife, and her brothers and sisters, praise God and pray that it lasts. You think it will, this time. After all, it's been a good year or so since the last time. Please God let this last! She says that's all in the past. She sees how much she hurt herself and everyone around her. How close she came to dying many times. 

 

She loves you. You didn't turn your back, and really you should have, she says. But she's your daughter. That was never an option. That's your little girl. You did the rehab route. The people treating her are professionals, they know what to do. You do everything they say because you want so badly for this to work. 

 

Then you get the phone call... I originally typed what happened in this case but I cried just writing it, and it's SB Sunday, so I'll spare you the details. Suffice to say, it was worse than you can imagine. 

 

What would you do as a parent? Can you even begin to imagine the pain, anguish, rage, and heartbreak? 

 

What did I do wrong?! We tried everything! We did what the professionals said! WHY? 

 

That's your new most said word: "why?" 

 

There is no comfort. 

 

And as much as some want to say it's Andy Reid's fault, believe me, NOBODY blames himself more than the parent. There is nothing you can dream up in your judgmental heart that he hasn't said to himself, and worse probably. 

 

Thank God or whatever you believe in that you are totally ignorant of what the above feels like. 

 

 

[first_and_ten]

On 2/5/2021 at 7:52 PM, Success said:

Sad story. I'm sad for Reid, I'm sad for the families affected, I'm sad for everyone.

 

Just terrible news.  Really puts the game way down the list.

 

This is exactly right. The game is so far down on the list. When will people learn? DON'T Drink and Drive!!!!!!!!!!!! In the age of Uber and Lift, how can people make the decision to drive after drinking? So Effing Selfish!!!

[Seventeen]

5 minutes ago, first_and_ten said:

This is exactly right. The game is so far down on the list. When will people learn? DON'T Drink and Drive!!!!!!!!!!!! In the age of Uber and Lift, how can people make the decision to drive after drinking? So Effing Selfish!!!

 

Unfortunately, don't drink and drive is not a black or white answer for a lot of people and I throw no stones as I did it many times in my youth. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

Andy Reid has 5 children. If people want to say that he (and his wife, I suppose) are "bad parents" and it's their fault that 2 of their sons suffer(ed) from mental illness and drug addiction issues then how do you explain the fact that you have never heard a thing about the other 3?

 

This topic is serious stuff that doesn't lend itself to tweets or 1 liners.

 

Ignorance leads many to judge. In this case, if you have never been through this or seen someone go through it, thank God for your ignorance. Trust me on that. 

 

It means that you've never gone to the ends of the earth and driven yourself crazy trying to help a family member or friend who suffers with addiction. A lot of times you have 2 choices:

 

1) walk away and let whatever happens happen, and live with that fact when the inevitable happens 

2) do everything you can, and accept that you will likely be some combination of disappointed, heartbroken, and angry on a regular basis

 

Andy Reid, like a lot of us, have chosen #2, because we love the person. And we have a duty to try to help family and friends. You don't turn your back on those in your life who are in need. On some level, we hope that maybe we can fix things.

 

Just a point that per the Philly Magazine article, with the older son, Garrett, the family actually did chose 1) at one point after several failed rehabs. 

 

They apparently wanted him to do the aftercare programs from his 2nd rehab and he didn't want to so they said "OK you're on your own":

Quote

Andy: There’s no right or wrong, because everything has worked for somebody along the way, and then nothing has worked for somebody along the way. It’s a different dynamic. Initially, you try to help. And you might try to help a second time. Then everybody is a little bit different after that. Some go with tough love. We followed that advice. We went that route with Garrett. He had just finished the second rehab and moved to Arizona......
..............If you want to go back to school, you earn the money to pay for school. We’ve done two rehabs, so it’s your time now, this whole program was set up to allow you or to teach you to do that. They try to ease you back into normal life, but he chose not to do that.....
It was a very tough step for us, and one that didn’t work. The last six months there were a disaster. We were out of touch with him. I was, for sure. He called home only a handful of times. And never to me. It just fell apart. In Arizona, he was living out of his car. He finally called me and was very distraught, and I called Tam to have her check on him..................When he got home, we were surprised by his appearance. You’re talking about a kid six-foot-four, close to six-five, and he was 168 pounds. Oh, my goodness — this was a kid who was 260 pounds. He’d lost almost a hundred pounds.

 

I expect that experience with the eldest son who OD'd may have influenced the path they took with Britt.

 

By the way I have friends who have gone through this stuff with their kids and your post is Right On

[TheFunPolice]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Just a point that per the Philly Magazine article, with the older son, Garrett, the family actually did chose 1) at one point after several failed rehabs. 

 

They apparently wanted him to do the aftercare programs from his 2nd rehab and he didn't want to so they said "OK you're on your own":

 

I expect that experience with the eldest son who OD'd may have influenced the path they took with Britt.

 

By the way I have friends who have gone through this stuff with their kids and your post is Right On

 

Interesting... I didn't realize that the family chose #1 with Garrett.

 

It's so hard. There really isn't any right choice. They all hurt. 

[Bill from NYC]

37 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

OK, so the knowledgeable thinking here about what that phrase means is that he was stopped/arrested for DUI but had a plea agreement for reduced charges?

Possibly but when you run someone on the computer, most of the time the charge that he copped to will also appear.

 

The scenarios that you described in an earlier post are not beyond the realm of possibility, in terms of some people having influence. For instance, picture an Ivy League school in a relatively small town.  Now, the school chancellor is DUI, hits a tree, and nobody is injured. The school is responsible for the economy of said town. Might he or she have enough influence to be "taken care of?" Well, I would think it to be possible.

 

In a place like NYC, the arresting officer would be in less danger because of their unions. The NYCPBA has a very large treasury to avoid situations in which the police officer can be intimidated by a DUI assemblywoman with ties to whoever is mayor. Oh, and they try.

26 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

Andy Reid has 5 children. If people want to say that he (and his wife, I suppose) are "bad parents" and it's their fault that 2 of their sons suffer(ed) from mental illness and drug addiction issues then how do you explain the fact that you have never heard a thing about the other 3?

 

This topic is serious stuff that doesn't lend itself to tweets or 1 liners.

 

Ignorance leads many to judge. In this case, if you have never been through this or seen someone go through it, thank God for your ignorance. Trust me on that. 

 

It means that you've never gone to the ends of the earth and driven yourself crazy trying to help a family member or friend who suffers with addiction. A lot of times you have 2 choices:

 

1) walk away and let whatever happens happen, and live with that fact when the inevitable happens 

2) do everything you can, and accept that you will likely be some combination of disappointed, heartbroken, and angry on a regular basis

 

Andy Reid, like a lot of us, have chosen #2, because we love the person. And we have a duty to try to help family and friends. You don't turn your back on those in your life who are in need. On some level, we hope that maybe we can fix things.

 

If we just try harder, be there more... We can fix it....

 

We all know someone, and if you don't, like I said above, consider yourself lucky and try not to judge what you do not understand. 

 

I saw someone I know go through this as a parent. It's anguish and pain on a level you cannot fathom. 

 

Everything can look good for so long. This time is different! You got your kid help, she went to rehab. She got out and got herself a job, starting going to church... Started focusing on being healthier.. You and your wife, and her brothers and sisters, praise God and pray that it lasts. You think it will, this time. After all, it's been a good year or so since the last time. Please God let this last! She says that's all in the past. She sees how much she hurt herself and everyone around her. How close she came to dying many times. 

 

She loves you. You didn't turn your back, and really you should have, she says. But she's your daughter. That was never an option. That's your little girl. You did the rehab route. The people treating her are professionals, they know what to do. You do everything they say because you want so badly for this to work. 

 

Then you get the phone call... I originally typed what happened in this case but I cried just writing it, and it's SB Sunday, so I'll spare you the details. Suffice to say, it was worse than you can imagine. 

 

What would you do as a parent? Can you even begin to imagine the pain, anguish, rage, and heartbreak? 

 

What did I do wrong?! We tried everything! We did what the professionals said! WHY? 

 

That's your new most said word: "why?" 

 

There is no comfort. 

 

And as much as some want to say it's Andy Reid's fault, believe me, NOBODY blames himself more than the parent. There is nothing you can dream up in your judgmental heart that he hasn't said to himself, and worse probably. 

 

Thank God or whatever you believe in that you are totally ignorant of what the above feels like. 

 

 

Thank you for this wonderful, enlightening post.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

Possibly but when you run someone on the computer, most of the time the charge that he copped to will also appear.

 

The scenarios that you described in an earlier post are not beyond the realm of possibility, in terms of some people having influence. For instance, picture an Ivy League school in a relatively small town.  Now, the school chancellor is DUI, hits a tree, and nobody is injured. The school is responsible for the economy of said town. Might he or she have enough influence to be "taken care of?" Well, I would think it to be possible.

 

In a place like NYC, the arresting officer would be in less danger because of their unions. The NYCPBA has a very large treasury to avoid situations in which the police officer can be intimidated by a DUI assemblywoman with ties to whoever is mayor. Oh, and they try.

 

I didn't think of that, but yeah, what you say makes sense - in the smaller towns, police unions may have less clout and certainly less war chest to protect their guys.

26 minutes ago, first_and_ten said:

This is exactly right. The game is so far down on the list. When will people learn? DON'T Drink and Drive!!!!!!!!!!!! In the age of Uber and Lift, how can people make the decision to drive after drinking? So Effing Selfish!!!

 

I expect that it has a lot to do with judgement and decision making being impaired.  They think they're just fine.

[Royale with Cheese]

3 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Consult your Webster’s.

I know what the definition is.  Why do yoi categorize it as selfish?

[JohnNord]

58 minutes ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

I doubt the Reids are cool with Britt Reid drinking as they are Mormons. Britt is 35 now and should be able to function in society without his parents watching his every move. I suspect he was hiding his drinking from Andy and the rest of the family. 

Ok that’s what I would believe as well.  I thought your last response made it sounds like they were ok with drinking since he wouldn’t OD like his brother did. 

[4merper4mer]

9 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I know what the definition is.  Why do yoi categorize it as selfish?

How is that difficult to understand?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

28 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

Interesting... I didn't realize that the family chose #1 with Garrett.

It's so hard. There really isn't any right choice. They all hurt. 

 

This isn't an exact analogy, but in a lot of ways, to medical science addiction is like cancer.  In most cases, we just don't really know how to prevent it or cure it at this time.  There are treatments but they're far from a sure thing for most types. 

 

You take the best medical advice you can find and afford, and you pray.