AUDIO ONLY: Army Sniper Reveals: How He Beat a Felony Case That Should've Ended Him\ Ep. 22 Pt. 1

Army sniper Drew Matthews was cooking meth at 15 and jailed at 17—before rebuilding his life, joining the Army and deploying to Iraq.Drew Matthews joins Chrissy and Paulie inside Frontier Liquor in Zimmerman, Minnesota, for one of the most intense Beer, Booze & B.S. conversations yet.Before Drew became an Army sniper, father, biker, artist and mentor, he was a child who refused to conform. He began running away when he was young, was riding Greyhound buses alone by 13, drinking and smoking weed shortly after that—and says he was cooking meth by 15.At 17, Drew was arrested with loaded .357 Magnums, serious felony charges and enough evidence to make his future look nearly impossible. He spent approximately nine months locked up while prosecutors attempted to try him as an adult. He ultimately beat the case, but walked out with his cars, money and former lifestyle gone.Drew also opens up about growing up under a controlling pastor father, being treated as the family “fall guy,” enduring physical punishment and living inside what he describes as a high-control religious environment. After getting sober, he made a complete turn and became a pastor himself—until the hypocrisy he witnessed forced him to question everything again.Then came another escape: the United States Army.Drew explains why looking at his newborn daughter made him want to become “G.I. Joe,” how he entered the Army with almost no shooting experience, what separated approximately 40 potential sniper candidates from a group of roughly 300 soldiers and why sniper selection was more about mindset than accuracy.He also tells the incredible story of failing the final sniper-school exercise after mistaking an “R” for a “K”—and how one superior believed in him enough to fight for the rare second chance that changed his life.And because this is Beer, Booze & B.S., the crew taste-tests Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret Gin, featuring orange blossom, cocoa and one of the coolest bottles they have ever brought onto the show. Even the non-gin drinkers are shocked by the reaction.This episode contains candid discussion of childhood abuse, addiction, illegal activity, incarceration and military experiences. The stories and opinions are those of the people sharing them.🔥 COMMENT BELOW:Could you have survived Drew’s childhood—or the final sniper-school “Last Shot” exercise?What part of his transformation surprised you the most?Have you ever had one person believe in you when everybody else had already counted you out?👍 Like this episode if Drew’s story deserves to be heard.🔔 Subscribe and turn on notifications for more unfiltered veteran stories, Minnesota characters, liquor taste tests, biker stories and real-life chaos.📲 Share this episode with someone who believes a person’s past does not have to determine their future.WATCH, LISTEN AND SHOP🎥 Watch and subscribe to Beer, Booze & B.S.:https://www.youtube.com/@beerboozeandbs🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform:https://feeds.transistor.fm/beer-booze-b-s-podcast🔥 Shop Sick Bastard Streetwear:https://sickbastardstreetwear.net📸 Follow Frontier Liquor on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/liquorfrontier/▶️ Watch more Beer, Booze & B.S. episodes:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06Fct1zVtPwsi_Uuq3fYf1rCnMiccjWWFilmed inside Frontier Liquor in Zimmerman, Minnesota.Please drink responsibly.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Runaway, Jail and Sniper School Preview04:39 Welcome to Beer, Booze & B.S.06:13 Meet Army Veteran Drew Matthews07:36 Art, Mentorship and Finding Himself08:57 His Evangelist Father and Constant Moving14:13 Why People Assume Drew Is a Troublemaker15:03 Strict Rules, Abuse and Refusing to Conform16:00 Life Inside an Army Sniper Section17:46 Does Drew Still Need Adult Supervision?18:38 Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret Gin Taste Test21:56 Growing Up With a Pastor Father22:54 Running Away as a Young Child23:55 Stealing Baseball Cards at Pamida24:26 Drinking at 13 and Cooking Meth at 1526:11 Two Felonies and Loaded .357 Magnums27:43 Drug Money, Multiple Cars and Paranoia28:19 Nine Months Locked Up—and Beating the Case29:14 Growing Up in a High-Control Church31:16 Childhood Abuse and the Family “Fall Guy”32:55 Why His Church Considered the Military Wrong33:40 Sobriety, Becoming a Pastor and Facing Prison34:29 A Customer Interrupts the Podcast40:08 Why Drew Ultimately Joined the Army41:00 Marriage, Fatherhood and a Newborn Daughter42:19 Becoming “G.I. Joe” to Protect His Child43:51 Telling His Wife He Was Joining44:37 Returning to Work in His Father’s Church45:24 Church Money, Children’s Ministry and Hypocrisy47:27 Breaking Away From the Family System48:31 Joining the Military as Another Escape49:07 The Recruiter Laughs at Drew’s Dream Jobs50:06 Signing Up and Leaving Two Weeks Later50:57 Why His Marriage Was Already Falling Apart51:56 Did Drew Know How to Shoot?52:12 “Gangster Days,” Guns and BB-Gun Wars54:02 Basic Training and Me