“I’m sorry.”

Rep. Mike Lynch of Wellington, the former minority leader of the state House, did not offer an apology to his colleagues or his constituents when he announced on Jan. 23 he would step down as minority leader. He had faced pressure from some Republicans to resign his post following his DUI arrest in 2022.

But, on Thursday, Lynch unequivocally made an apology.

“I’m sorry and embarrassed” to the core, Lynch told Colorado Politics. “As a body we fight to have a good impression and I’m very sorry I put a stain on that.”

Lynch made his remarks following a meeting at the Independence Institute with high school students from Liberty Common School of Fort Collins, which is run by former U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer. Lynch’s children graduated from Liberty Common last year; his son, Spencer, is now at West Point.

Schaffer asked Lynch to speak to the students about his recent troubles and what lessons he’s learned from that experience.

“There should be accountability,” Schaffer told the students.

Lynch’s offered two main points. First, as these young people enter adulthood, they should be careful around alcohol.

“Guard yourself,” Lynch said.

The second, he said, is they should think about how much they’ve learned from success versus what they’ve learned from failures. Sometimes, a person learns more after failing, Lynch said.

“It was the biggest mistake of my life,” Lynch told the students.

He said at the time he wanted to find the nearest and biggest rock so he could climb under it.

He also explained why he kept news of his arrest under wraps.

Lynch was arrested in September 2022 for driving under the influence, speeding and being in possession of a firearm while intoxicated. In December, 2022 he pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 150 hours of community service and 15 months of probation.

The probation ends in June.

Lynch told the students that he believes in the rule of law. He had kept the arrest quiet between September and the November election, after which he was elected minority leader in the wake of the unexpected death of Rep. Hugh McKean of Loveland.

Lynch noted that as of the November 2022 elections, the legal case against him had not yet been resolved, again following the rule of law.

He continued to keep the arrest quiet for the next year, he said, to try and protect his children as they were completing high school from the media maelstrom that was sure to follow once the news came out.

“I made that choice for my family,” Lynch said, adding the media attention was as bad as it could be.

Lawmakers arrested for drunk driving have sometimes apologized to their colleagues and constituents, but sometimes not.

Former Speaker Pro Tem Dan Pabon of Denver offered a tearful apology on the House floor following his 2016 arrest for drunk driving on St. Patrick’s Day, announcing he would step down from leadership and deciding against a run for the state Senate.

“I will never repeat this mistake,” Pabon said, his voice breaking from sobs. “And I sincerely, and truly apologize to my wife and kids, my family, and my colleagues, and our community.”

When Rep. Matt Gray of Broomfield was arrested two years ago for suspicion of drunk driving while picking his children up from school, he denied he had been drinking and said he was suffering from anxiety. However, he later pleaded guilty to driving while impaired. He was sentenced to community service and probation. He did not apologize for his arrest.

State Rep. Laura Bradford of Grand Junction was stopped but not arrested for drunk driving in January 2012, in an incident in which Denver Police claimed her blood alcohol content was 0.2, well above the legal limit.

The Denver police faced criticism over how they handled the situation, charging Bradford only with an illegal lane change and initially stating she had claimed immunity from arrest as a lawmaker. The department later admitted she had not, but instead asked to be treated like everyone else.

“I am not above the law,” Bradford told the House. “I’m sorry my actions have cast any kind of shadow whatsoever on this House and the entire General Assembly.”

“My statements were not intended to invoke legislative privilege. I’m deeply sorry for my actions and I apologize to each and every member of this body, to my constituents back home and to all the people of Colorado,” Bradford said.

Lynch concluded his comments by telling the students he learned a lot, and, if there’s a silver lining, it gave him the opportunity to talk to them about it.

“Learn from me,” he said. “Don’t do stupid stuff.”