Tuesday 27th January 2026

guilty-plea

A 27-year-old Clinton man charged with multiple felonies after a fatal traffic crash in Pettis County on March 1 has pleaded guilty to all charges.

According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred when a northbound vehicle, driven by Westley Reid, failed to stop for a red light and struck a westbound vehicle, driven by 27-year-old Zackary Hancock Bottom, who was ejected out of his vehicle and later pronounced deceased at a hospital. Reid was driving a vehicle that was reported stolen, and was fleeing law enforcement at the time of the crash.

Reid was charged with a Class A Felony for Second-Degree Murder; a Class B Felony for Driving While Intoxicated; a Class D Felony for Tampering with a Motor Vehicle in the First Degree; and a Class E Felony for Resisting Arrest for a Felony.

Reid pleaded guilty to all charges during a court proceeding on January 11. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 5 at Cooper County Circuit Court.