Rep. Gray Refused DUI Test When Police Arrived At Elementary School, Report Says

By Faith Miller, Colorado Newsline

April 25, 2022

Democratic state Rep. Matt Gray arrived at a Broomfield elementary school Thursday afternoon to pick up his two young children when a school staff member called police, suspecting him of being drunk, according to a Broomfield Police Department report that Newsline obtained through a records request.

The news that Gray had been arrested on suspicion of driving under intoxication first emerged Friday morning.

Gray reportedly refused a roadside test — meaning his driver’s license could be revoked for one year, and he’d have to enroll in an alcohol education and treatment program in order to get it back. Colorado law allows people who refuse a roadside test to apply for early license reinstatement after two months, if they agree to install an ignition interlock device on their vehicle.

Gray was booked into the Broomfield Detention Center on Thursday and was later released. Given that he had no criminal record, "Gray was not required to post bond," according to police spokesperson Officer Rachel Haslett.

According to the police report, a Broomfield officer identified as D. Abram was dispatched to Coyote Ridge Elementary School at 4:49 p.m. Thursday. A school staff member directed Abram to Gray, who was sitting on a concrete pillar. Gray told the officer that he was there to pick up his two children, who are 8 and 6.

“He stated multiple times what he did for work, and that he understood the process that he was involved in,” the report said. Gray, a former deputy district attorney, is in his third term in the Colorado General Assembly and has filed to run for reelection to a fourth term. He is the only Democratic candidate running in House District 33.

Gray denied he had been drinking and told Abram he had been having a panic attack when he arrived at the school to pick up his children, according to the police report. After arriving at the school, Gray said he called a friend, Democratic state Sen. Faith Winter of Westminster, to pick up him and his children.

Winter told Abram that she received a call from Gray around 4:59 p.m. and subsequently drove to the school to help. According to the report, Winter said she and Gray had both left work — presumably at the Capitol — around 3 p.m., and that it had been a “long exhausting day” and a “bad day.”

Abram informed Gray that multiple people had reported that Gray smelled like alcohol, according to the police report. Gray refused roadside maneuvers and would not provide a breath sample. According to the report, Abram thought Gray “smelled of an unknown alcoholic beverage and that he appeared to be on some type of controlled substance.”

“I could see that Matthew’s eyes were bloodshot red and glossy,” the report said. “He also appeared to be unsteady standing on two feet. While listening to Matthew talk, it appeared that he was slurring his words and having trouble finishing his thoughts.”

Gray’s ex-wife, Katharine Gray, was summoned to the school to pick up their children. She told police she was “grateful for the call, due to Matthew’s history with alcohol.”

Katharine Gray said “she has been dealing with his drinking on her own for years,” according to the report. “She also stated that she was not surprised that Matthew showed up to the school intoxicated. She has seen him in a similar fashion in the past.”

Matt Gray and Katharine Gray completed a divorce in March, Broomfield County court records show.

According to a supplemental police report by Sergeant Josh McCollum, Gray told officers, “Just know Brian Mason is my Friend,” apparently referring to 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason. Gray also told officers “not to treat him differently than we would a normal person,” McCollum’s report said.

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