NW Minn. Rep. Grossell pleads guilty to 4th-degree DWI

Jul. 5—CLEARWATER COUNTY, Minn. — Minnesota Rep. Matt Grossell of House District 2A has pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree DWI charge for an incident that took place in February in Clearwater County.

Grossell, a retired Clearwater County sheriff's deputy and former Blackduck police chief, entered a guilty plea on June 29 to one count of fourth-degree DWI after

being cited on Feb. 11 for driving while intoxicated.

According to an incident report, Grossell was stopped by the Minnesota State Patrol for speeding in the early morning hours of Feb. 11 in Gonvick. He submitted to a blood alcohol test that showed he was at .15%, which is nearly twice the legal driving limit of .08%.

Grossell is now faced with a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. His pre-trial is set for July 24 at the Clearwater County Courthouse.

In 2019,

Grossell was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing

after he refused to leave a hospital he was transported to after acting intoxicated and disorderly at the Best Western Plus Capitol Ridge in St. Paul.

Following the incident, Grossell released a statement.

"Saturday morning, I received a citation in St. Paul," the statement read. "I apologize to my family, my constituents, my colleagues, and my friends. As a retired Deputy Sheriff, I will fully cooperate with any next steps."

As a result of the 2019 incident, Grossell agreed to enter a court diversion program and was taken off House public safety and judiciary committees.

After being reelected in 2020,

he returned to the committees. He was then

reelected once again in 2022,

beating out Bemidji's Reed Olson 8,836-7,406.