The coach called the drug court "phenomenal" and said the support from those in the program "gave Britt hope."
It has been two years and four months since Britt Reid flashed a gun at another driver in a road-rage incident in West Conshohocken and was found to have small amounts of cocaine and marijuana in his truck.
What came next was a roller coaster of criminal charges, court appearances, bail violations, drug-rehabilitation programs, and media frenzy. His older brother, Garrett, was battling drugs and criminal charges as well.
O'Neill told the crowded courtroom that the program focused on treatment and recovery. The change, he said, comes slowly.
In Britt Reid, the change was evident.
He has gained weight since his sentencing in November 2007, and no longer looks gaunt and sullen. He moved easily through the courtroom, shaking hands.
"I am just happy," he said. "It has been a long road, not necessarily an easy road."
His father and his mother, Tammy, joined everyone in the courtroom in giving the graduates a standing ovation.
Britt Reid was arrested the same day Garrett Reid ran his black Jeep Liberty SUV through a red light in Plymouth Township, crashed into another car, and seriously injured a Northumberland County woman. Garrett Reid acknowledged using heroin before the accident.
While free on bail and awaiting sentencing for the road-rage incident, Britt Reid failed a sobriety test after he drove into a shopping cart in a Plymouth Meeting parking lot. A highly addictive prescription drug, Vicodin, was found in his car. His bail was revoked.
When sentencing them 11/2 years ago, O'Neill scolded both Reids for not taking responsibility for their lives and recoveries.
