Ryan O’Reilly has avoided criminal charges after he was arrested for impaired driving after an incident where police said the Buffalo Sabres star drove his truck into a Tim Horton’s back in July.
O’Reilly was in court where after an interview with Mary Smith, a Tim Horton’s worker who witnessed the accident, it was determined that O’Reilly couldn’t be directly identified in the crash. Since Smith was the only person able to identify O’Reilly and couldn’t say for certain it was him, there was “no reasonable prospect of conviction” and O’Reilly was found not guilty.
Jane Sims of the London Free Press reported the case as it unfolded in court.
Smith was the only identification witness….
— Jane Sims (@JaneatLFPress) July 11, 2016
No reasonable prospect of conviction. No more evidence
— Jane Sims (@JaneatLFPress) July 11, 2016
Not guilty! We're done
— Jane Sims (@JaneatLFPress) July 11, 2016
It’s certainly a break for O’Reilly, who could have faced possible jail time if he was convicted. While some were quick to anoint O’Reilly innocent of any wrongdoing, it’s hard to forget this whole thing unfolded and he was found not guilty because he couldn’t be identified. O’Reilly was driving impaired as his blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. He could have killed somebody or himself by acting so recklessly. This isn’t a case of the justice system and false accusations being proved incorrect – O’Reilly simply got lucky.
This whole situation should prove as a learning opportunity for O’Reilly. He dodged a bullet this time. Hopefully, he’s smart enough now to know it’s never OK to drink and get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
