Britt Reid pleads guilty in DUI case

Britt Reid, son of Eagles coach Andy Reid, pleaded guilty yesterday to driving under the influence of a controlled substance, but the judge indicated Reid would not be given extra time behind bars.

Reid already is in Montgomery County Jail for a road-rage incident a year ago, when he pulled a gun on another motorist.

Yesterday's case stemmed from an incident in a Plymouth Township parking lot last summer, when Reid drove his vehicle into a shopping cart.

Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O'Neill also questioned Reid's sincerity about wanting to be admitted into the county's drug-treatment program after a prosecutor said the prosecution had evidence to the contrary.

Reid could get out of jail early if accepted into the 15-month program.

"I am not going to pull any punches," O'Neill said to Reid. "The attorney general has information that would completely belie your interest in drug court."

Reid, 22, has struggled with an addiction to prescription painkillers since age 14, when he hurt his back lifting weights at Harriton High School in Lower Merion Township.

Reid sat quietly during most of the proceedings. He has gained weight since beginning his road-rage sentence and is now filling out the suit that once hung on his thin frame.

The guilty plea entered yesterday stemmed from last August, when witnesses at a Plymouth Township sporting goods store reported that Reid appeared under the influence and confused when looking for his truck in the parking lot. When he did find it, Reid drove into a shopping cart.

Police found more than 200 pills strewn about Reid's truck during a search.

Reid's driver's license will be suspended by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for a "substantial amount of time," according to his attorney, Joseph Toogood.

Reid also pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

At the time of the incident, he was out on bail from the road-rage case. In that case, Reid was sentenced to eight to 23 months in jail.

He currently has 90 days left on that sentence.

If paroled early into drug court, O'Neill said Reid would face drug testing four times a week, would be required to attend counseling and 12-step meetings, and would have to hold a job. He called the program "very difficult."

Reid earlier had indicated he would be interested.

But yesterday, prosecutors said they could provide a tape or transcript of Reid that would indicate otherwise.

Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo did not provide further details.

O'Neill said the information put him in a rough position in deciding whether to accept Reid into the program. "I'm not interested in someone conning me," the judge told Reid.

Toogood wants O'Neill to schedule a parole hearing for Reid as soon as possible. He said he hoped the hearing could take place before Montgomery County College, where Reid is a student, began the spring semester.

"He wants to get back to a normal regimen and routine and continue on," Toogood said.

Reid's older brother, Garrett Reid, 24, was sentenced in November on drug and traffic charges stemming from a separate incident.

He currently is in Montgomery County Jail and is facing charges he smuggled drugs into the jail.