Cloquet officer faces discipline for DWI

A Cloquet police officer who pleaded guilty to driving while impaired last summer is now facing discipline from the police department.

Officer Andrew Michael Murray is being suspended without pay for 14 workdays, or 168 hours, upon the recommendation of police chief Derek Randall and agreement of city administrator Tim Peterson, who signed off on Murray’s suspension Thursday, April 8. The city/CPD is also imposing a “final and last chance agreement” for any alcohol or impairment-related offense for a period of five years upon completion of the suspension, according to a copy of the final disposition of discipline obtained by the Pine Knot News. One line of the disposition was redacted.

In response to a question about department policy for officers who break the law, Chief Randall said no policy can cover every situation. “These types of issues can be very complex, and they’re handled on a case-by-case basis with a full investigation, with the guidance of our policy manual, state statute(s), and the employment contract,” Randall said.

The work suspension comes on top of Murray’s court sentence. Murray represented himself in district court proceedings last year. In exchange for pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree driving while impaired, with an alcohol concentration at or above 0.08 within two hours, two misdemeanor fourth-degree DWI charges were dismissed, along with one count of “collision with an unattended vehicle or object” and failure to notify. Murray was placed on one year of supervised probation and had to pay a $1,000 fine. Carlton County Sixth District judge Rebekka Stumme stayed a 90-day jail sentence.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol incident report filed Aug. 12, Murray crashed his Pontiac G6 near 223 Gillespie Road and Webbeking Drive in Carlton on Aug. 6, and then ran into the woods near South Terrace Elementary School. In addition to the Minnesota State Patrol, Cloquet and Fond du Lac police officers assisted at the scene, setting up a perimeter. Murray was located and taken into custody without further incident.

According to the state patrol, a trooper observed that Murray showed signs of impairment. He was transported to Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet and a search warrant was obtained for a blood sample to determine blood alcohol content. Murray was off duty at the time of the crash.

According to the incident report, Murray remained at the hospital for further medical treatment and did not spend any time in jail. Authorities have not explained why he wasn’t taken into custody, which is standard procedure in DWI cases although pandemic protocols may have been a factor, as officials were trying to limit jail population at the time. The Pine Knot News learned Wednesday that Murray’s test result from the BCA was 0.11, according to the Minnesota State Patrol, which is consistent with the fourth-degree misdemeanor charge.

Duluth attorney Shawn Reed prosecuted the case because of Murray’s position as a police officer and the potential for a conflict of interest with the Cloquet City Attorney’s Office and the Carlton County Attorney’s Office.

According to Chief Randall, Murray was on paid, non-disciplinary administrative leave from the Cloquet Police Department from approximately Aug. 7 through March 11, seven months. The internal investigation was conducted by commander Adam Reed after the criminal case was completed.

Randall issued a statement 12 days after Murray’s arrest last summer. He expressed disappointment that an officer had violated the law and explained the procedure for the criminal charges and the internal investigation.

“Actions such as this are not just upsetting personally; they undermine the entire police department,” Randall wrote. “When an officer violates the very law we are trying to enforce, it weakens the trust and confidence we have with our community. This conduct is unacceptable, is not representative of the Cloquet Police Department, and will not be tolerated. Members of our department will continue to work to regain your trust.”