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Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. announced the arrest that resulted from an investigation by county detectives that included a search of the Reid family home Thursday night.
The search of the home occurred around 8 p.m. after Andy and Tammy Reid had spent the day at the Montgomery County Courthouse attending hearings in which their two oldest sons were sentenced to prison time for separate criminal incidents.
Castor explained that the search was necessary to corroborate the claims of Reid's cellmate, a sometimes less-than-reliable individual who informed prison officials about the smuggling.
"I became concerned that it could not be corroborated because I did not know whether the cellmate was telling us the truth or whether the cellmate had brought the drugs in on his own and was trying to use the celebrity status of Garrett Reid to his advantage," said Castor.
Reid, who had been out on bail awaiting Thursday's sentencing for a drug-fueled two-vehicle collision he caused Jan. 30 in Plymouth, on Tuesday was directed to appear at the county probation office.
Unknown to Reid at the time was that his bail had been revoked because he had tested positive for drugs and that county sheriff deputies were waiting there to transport him to the county jail.
Driven to the probation office by his mother's assistant, Reid spotted a sheriff's patrol car parked in front of the probation office and prevailed on the assistant to take him home, according to Castor.
Reid went into the home, got the pills and put them into two small plastic bags before stuffing them in his rectum and then went back to the probation offices, said Castor.
Reid shared those details with the cellmate, explaining he "didn't want to go through what he did the last time," according to Castor.
Reid was referring to the six days he spent in prison last month after his bail was revoked for missing two drug tests and failing to contact his probation officer. When the drug test he was administered at the prison came back clean, his bail was reinstated and he was released.
Reid is receiving treatment for his drug habit and that treatment includes what county Judge Steven T. O'Neill has described as a "pharmaceutical cocktail" that includes other addictive drugs, some of which are not available at the prison.
The cellmate told authorities that he observed Reid remove the pills he had smuggled in from his rectal area. Separating the pills by color and explaining their various uses, Reid then offered him some of the pills, the cellmate told authorities. The cellmate declined.
While Reid was being transported to the county courthouse Thursday, the cellmate informed prison authorities of the pills, which were discovered in a pair of rolled up socks in his laundry bag, said Castor.
The pills included Suboxone, used to treat opiate addiction, Lexapro for depression, Valium, Haldal, Buspar, Xanax and other unidentified drugs.
In executing the search warrant at the Reid home, authorities found many of the same drugs, most of which were prescribed for drug-addicted 22-year-old brother Britt, hidden between the mattress and box springs of Reid's bed. They also found two syringes, eight needles and $417 in cash, according to the criminal complaint.
Castor said his detectives were not looking to determine whether the drugs had been prescribed for Reid but that the pills found in the prison cell matched those found in the home.
Like the other criminal cases against the Reid sons, Castor has referred this case to the state Attorney General's Office for prosecution because one of the lawyers for the Reid sons is Ross Weiss, who has served as Castor's campaign treasurer for his past political campaigns and his current bid for county commissioner.
Reid on Thursday was sentenced to two to 23 months in prison that will be followed by a one-year probationary sentence for the Plymouth accident.
Britt Reid was sentenced to eight to 23 months in jail and a four-year probationary sentence for a gun-wielding road-rage incident in West Conshohocken on Jan. 30.
While the judge at sentencing was critical of the Reids for their apparent lack of supervision of numerous legally prescribed drugs to which their drug-addicted sons had access as well as guns and a knife, Castor said he "feels somewhat sorry for the Reids having to go through this ordeal."
"These boys are adults and have a responsibility to look out for themselves," said Castor. "We are not talking about children under their parents' thumbs."
