THE SIDELINES : Reedy Guilty of Drunk Driving in Crash That Killed Billy Martin

A jury found a Detroit bar owner guilty today of driving with a blood-alcohol content above the legal limit for intoxication in the Christmas Day crash that killed former major-league manager Billy Martin.

William Reedy, 53, was cleared of a lesser charge of driving while ability impaired by a Town of Fenton Court jury that deliberated for about two hours before reaching a verdict.

Reedy faces a mandatory fine of between $350 and $500, revocation of his driving privileges in New York state for at least six months and a possible jail sentence of up to a year.

Reedy was convicted of a charge of driving with 0.10% or more blood-alcohol content, a misdemeanor. The charge carries the same penalties in New York as driving while intoxicated, but is lodged against some drinking drivers because intoxication can be more difficult to prove in court, said George Filieau, spokesman for the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

In Reedy’s case, the jury felt he was not impaired due to his high tolerance level for alcohol, but it did find that he was legally over the 0.10% limit, said Kevin Guyette, assistant Broome County district attorney.

Before deliberations began, the wreckage of Martin’s pickup was towed to the courthouse today to allow jurors to look at the vehicle. They were instructed not to speak to each other or anyone else during their five-minute examination. A cigarette lighter stamped with the words “Reedy Saloon,” the bar owned by Reedy near Tigers Stadium in Detroit, was on the floor on the passenger side of the vehicle.