Cases of Reid sons may go to a drug-treatment court
The attorneys for Garrett and Britt Reid said yesterday that they might try to transfer their clients' cases to a specialized drug-treatment court.
The attorneys for Garrett and Britt Reid said yesterday that they might try to transfer their clients' cases to a specialized drug-treatment court.
"That is a possibility," William J. Winning, an attorney for the Reids, said as he left a Montgomery County courtroom after a pretrial conference.
The Reids, sons of Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid, were dressed in jackets and ties when they appeared before Judge Steven T. O'Neill. They face traffic and drug charges - and Britt faces a weapons charge - stemming from separate incidents on Jan. 30.
Both of the Reids are now in counseling, according to one of their attorneys, Ross Weiss. Garrett Reid, 24, also is working by "assisting his father," Weiss said; he declined to offer any specifics or to say whether Garrett Reid was working with the Eagles organization.
Britt Reid, 22, is "finishing up" classes at Montgomery County Community College, Weiss said.
"They are straightening out their lives and they are moving forward," Weiss said. "They have to learn from and get beyond these two unfortunate events."
A drug court handles defendants facing drug charges and uses intensive supervision, mandatory one-on-one and group therapy, drug screening, and weekly meetings with a judge in an effort to prevent recidivism among drug users.
Winning made the comment about the potential legal strategy as he left the hearing surrounded by television and newspaper photographers. It would have to be approved by the court.
Pretrial conferences, held behind closed doors, allow both sides to review the status of the case and discuss whether to go on to trial or plead to charges.
On the afternoon of Jan. 30, Garrett Reid's vehicle ran a red light in Plymouth Meeting and struck a 55-year-old woman, leaving her with injuries. He told police he had used heroin earlier in the day, and later was charged with misdemeanor drug and traffic offenses.
Earlier that day, Britt Reid was involved in a road-rage incident in West Conshohocken, where he allegedly waved a handgun at another driver. He faces a felony charge of carrying a firearm without a license and misdemeanor charges of lying to authorities, simple assault, making terroristic threats, and possessing a controlled substance.
Weiss said he expected to receive a notice in the mail giving the date of the next pretrial conference.