LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, one of the most powerful Republicans at the state capitol and now a congressional candidate, was arrested for drunk driving and possessing a gun while drunk in 2022.
The Denver Post first reported, and we have confirmed, that Colorado State Patrol (CSP) arrested Lynch (R-Wellington) in Sep. 2022. Lynch's blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.157, almost twice the legal limit, and he was driving 90 mph, 15 mph over the speed limit.
In an interview with 9NEWS, he explained why he did not tell the public.
"It's a personal matter and I didn't think there was a reason to,” Lynch said.
He admitted that he did not expect it to be kept a secret.
"You know, I was realistic that this would come out some day and I would face it like I'm doing right now, and that's what leaders do. They make mistakes, pick themselves up, become better for it and move on,” Lynch said.
A CSP report says Lynch was speeding on I-25 in Larimer County when the trooper pulled him over. Lynch told the trooper he was coming from a fundraiser in Fort Collins, and the trooper said in the report that he could smell alcohol on the state representative's breath.
The trooper noted Lynch appeared drunk, and that he was carrying a pocketknife. Lynch admitted to having a gun on him. The report says Lynch then reached for the pocket the gun was in.
The trooper said Lynch grabbed the gun, and then began to pull the gun out of his pocket. According to the report, the trooper pinned Lynch's hand, still holding the gun, against the representative's leg.
“I think it was an 'oh crap, I forgot, I've got a gun in my pocket.' And so, I was trying to be proactive with the officer,” Lynch said.
Watch the full interview here:
Here's what the Colorado State Patrol trooper wrote in the DUI report.
"I feared for my safety as Mr. Lynch manipulated a firearm after I had clearly told him not to touch the knife in his other pocket,” the trooper wrote. "He told me he had a little .380 and said 'it's not a big deal'. I informed him that pulling a gun out of our pocket when in contact with the police was, in fact, a big deal and people get shot that way."
The trooper continued with, “For a moment, I was certain that Mr. Lynch was either purposefully pulling the gun out of his pocket, or was so intoxicated that he did not realize what he was doing.”
Lynch said he believes this is now public because he is running for Congress in Congressional District 4.
“Folks do their due diligence on candidates like I would expect them to,” Lynch said.
He said there is nothing else the public, or voters, do not know about him.
“I think this search was in an effort to find all that. And I think this is the only thing you’re going to find on me. I mean, I don’t think that. I know that,” Lynch said.
Lynch said it was purposeful to not be public about the incident.
“There’s two ways you can do it. You can tell or you cannot tell. I flipped the coin and ended up with the not tell option,” Lynch said. “To tell you the truth, it’s kind of a relief that it’s out.”
The report said that Lynch told the trooper "about how he was a supporter of law enforcement and fought for 'us.'”
Before roadside tests, but after grabbing his gun, Lynch asked the trooper to call Mike Honn, CSP's lobbyist at the state capitol.
“He’s my point of contact with the State Patrol, and I’d like for him to be informed that one of his reps had an interdiction. It’s pretty standard protocol. Lot of folks do that when they’re pulled over,” Lynch said. “It was a courtesy call, so they didn’t hear it from somebody else, because I have a really strong relationship with that department.”
A spokesman with the Colorado State Patrol said that there is a policy for troopers to notify Honn, the legislative liaison, when there is contact with a state legislator or member of U.S. Congress.
The public information officer for CSP was notified by troopers about 25 minutes after the traffic stop was initiated. Though, the public was never informed of the traffic stop.
“This is a standard procedure in line with our current policy that would require a trooper to advise the public information officer of an incident that would attract potential media attention. Due to the office Mr. Lynch held, the trooper that night believed it fit and made the notification,” a CSP spokesman said.
There is no policy, however, to proactively notify the public of an incident that would attract potential media attention.
After Lynch was arrested, he was released to a sober party. 9NEWS legal analyst Scott Robinson said that that is common post-COVID. Lynch was charged with DUI and possessing a weapon while drunk, but both sentences were deferred.
Lynch told 9NEWS he's still on probation and will be until June.
Lynch's colleague across the aisle, state Rep. Leslie Herod (D-Denver) responded to the publication of his arrest on social media Wednesday.
"Our minority leader is lucky to have made it out of this encounter alive (and i’m glad he did). i can’t help but wonder what things would be like if all people were afforded the grace that this officer showed lynch," Herod wrote.
Lynch is running in a crowded race in Colorado's 4th Congressional District to replace Republican Congressman Ken Buck. He'll be running against current Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who switched to the CD-4 race from the third Congressional District on the Western Slope.
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