Legislator arrested for DWI, four years after intoxicated incident at St. Paul hotel and hospital

Kristi Belcamino, Pioneer Press
·2 min read
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A Minnesota lawmaker and former law enforcement officer who was arrested in 2019 after “drunk” and “belligerent” behavior at a St. Paul hotel and hospital was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence earlier this month.

Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, was arrested last weekend in Clearwater County on suspicion of driving under the influence. His arraignment is scheduled for March 15.

According to Minnesota Public Radio News, a State Patrol report from northwestern Minnesota shows that a trooper stopped Grossell, 57, shortly before 1 a.m. last Saturday. He was driving a Chevrolet Silverado at 71 mph in a 55-mph zone in Pine Lake Township. The trooper noticed evidence of alcohol impairment, and Grossell’s blood-alcohol level was later measured at 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to the report. He was cited for fourth-degree DWI and released to a “sober party.”

In a Friday night statement, Grossell’s attorney, Alex Rogosheske, acknowledged the lawmaker’s arrest but didn’t comment further.

Grossell was arrested May 4, 2019, in St. Paul after a scuffle with a security guard at a Capitol-area hotel and subsequent disruptive behavior at Regions Hospital, where he cursed at nurses, according to police reports.

After he was taken to St. Paul police headquarters, he told an officer he was a lawmaker and retired deputy and that there “will be hell to pay” and the officer should call the police chief.

Shortly after the arrest, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, accused Grossell of “abuse of the office” and removed him from both the public safety and judiciary committees.

Grossell, who had been a Clearwater County sheriff’s deputy and the Blackduck police chief, was ultimately arrested for trespassing and disorderly conduct and reached an agreement that allowed him to avoid any convictions if he completed a six-month court diversion program intended to allow adults to address issues without incarceration.

At the time, Grossell said that “I have worked since the night of the incident to personally apologize to those involved, make amends, and complete the legal process. Despite Speaker Hortman’s efforts to remove law enforcement voices from the Public Safety Committee, I will continue to focus on efforts to make our communities safer and support the men and women in law enforcement who put their lives on the line each day to protect Minnesotans.”

Grossell, now in his fourth term, was reelected in 2020 and again last November. He has resumed his public safety and judiciary committee assignments.

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