Democrat Senator Arrested for Burglary, Caught in the Act

(USNewsMag.com) – On April 22nd, Democratic Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, was arrested and held at the Becker County Jail on suspicion of a first-degree burglary charge.

Police responded to a call at around 4:45 a.m. on April 22nd from a homeowner, Mitchell’s stepmother, reporting a burglary and found Mitchell inside the Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, home. Police searching the home located Mitchell, wearing black clothing, including a black hat. According to a criminal complaint, she was carrying her Senate identification, Tupperware, a cell phone, a black backpack with two laptops inside, and a flashlight with a sock over it.

Mitchell told authorities that she was attempting to get some of her late father‘s belongings, including a flannel shirt, photos, his ashes, and other items that had sentimental importance since her stepmother would not give her the requested items. As police arrested her, Mitchell allegedly told her stepmother that she was attempting to take the items “because you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”

According to the criminal complaint, one of the laptops inside the backpack belonged to her stepmother.

A restraining order was issued against Mitchell on April 23rd. A judge ruled she could be released from jail if she does not have contact with her stepmother and gets permission from the court before leaving the state. She has a court date of June 10th.

Her absence in the state Senate will be noticed as the Democrats have a one-seat majority, making it harder to pass legislation in the remaining four weeks of the legislative session without bipartisan support.

Minnesota state Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, a Republican, said he was shocked by her arrest, adding that he expects “the consequences to meet the actions” in the legislature and in court.

First elected to her role in the state Senate in 2022, Mitchell worked as a meteorologist for Minnesota Public Radio and KSTP-TV. She still serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding the weather unit.