A state lawmaker charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing for drunken conduct earlier this spring will avoid convictions on his record if he successfully completes a court diversion program.
Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, was admitted to the program at a Thursday hearing in Ramsey County District Court, according to his attorney, Ryan Garry.
The five-month program requires participants to establish and complete goals outlined and supervised by staff with Project Remand.
The nonprofit organization provides alternatives to detention for adults in the criminal justice system, according to its website.
Participants must have identifiable problems in need of intervention to be eligible for the program as well as meet several other criteria.
They also have to admit guilt for their conduct, though completion of diversion means they avoid entering a guilty plea in court and having the offense ding their criminal record.
Diversion was the ideal outcome for Grossell, his attorney said.
“Rep. Grossell is pleased that all charges will be completely dismissed in five months and he looks forward to doing public service in his community,” Garry wrote in an email.
Hotel security called St. Paul police about 1 a.m. May 4 to the Best Western Plus Capitol Ridge, which is near the state Capitol, after a report of an intoxicated man acting disorderly in the bar.
Grossell reportedly pushed a security guard several times before pulling him to the ground, according to authorities.
Believing Grossell was not in a condition to care for himself, he was taken by authorities to Regions Hospital for an evaluation, where he was ultimately cleared by hospital staff.
He was later cited for trespassing after refusing to leave the hospital.
Grossell, 53, was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016 and is serving his second term. He is single with three grown children.
Grossell serves on the House committees for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy; Judiciary Finance and Civil Law; and Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy.
He is a retired Clearwater County sheriff’s deputy and former Blackduck police chief.