Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell was arrested in late April on suspicion of burglary, landing the first-term politician in jail, pending an investigation.
Mitchell served in the military ahead of her election to Congress and is mid-way through her first term in office. The Democratic official was elected back in 2022 to represent a suburban St. Paul district, according to AP, and her arrest is guaranteed to throw a wrench in her party’s incoming plans. Details regarding the alleged burglary and Mitchell’s arrest are still developing, but things are looking grim for Senate Democrats in the wake of the news.
Why was Senator Mitchell arrested?
Senator Mitchell was arrested in the wee hours of April 22 during the Senate’s one-week Passover break. A call came in around 4:45am from a Detroit Lakes residence reporting an “active burglary in process,” according to Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd. When officers responded, they searched the home and discovered Mitchell.
Few details have been made public as further information is gathered on the case, but it was revealed that Mitchell’s late father lived on the same street — and the same block — on which the senator was arrested. Mitchell’s father passed away last month, but her stepmother continues to live at the residence.
How is the Senate responding to Mitchell’s arrest?
Senate Democrats responded with guarded statements following Mitchell’s arrest. In a statement, the Senate Democratic Caucus noted that it is “aware of the situation and has no comment pending further information.” Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson had a similar response, not wanting to form an opinion ahead of the release of proper information. “The public expects Legislators to meet a high standard of conduct,” he said in a statement. “As information comes out, we expect the consequences to meet the actions, both in the court of law, and in her role at the legislature.”
What was Mitchell doing at the residence? One possibility, explained
We still don’t know what Mitchell’s motivations for being at the residence were, but we should know more details by the end of the month. One possibility could see Mitchell walk away with light charges or none at all, though it’s purely speculative at this point. Mitchell’s father, we now know, passed away last month, and he lived several hours from Mitchell’s district with his wife and Mitchell’s stepmom. A month is very little time to process such complicated grief, meaning Mitchell, missing her dad and headed into a week-long break, could have headed up to his area to feel a bit closer to him. She may have let herself into his home in the middle of the night, enveloped herself in things that reminded herself of her dad, and fell asleep. Her stepmom could have then called the police, at which point Mitchell was arrested. Mitchell’s stepmother has notably not returned calls requesting comment, which could mean nothing — or everything.
Regardless of what happened, this is a strange situation for someone of Mitchell’s stature to find herself in. She’s a state senator, a former meteorologist, and a current lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard. It’s by no means unheard of for a military woman, politician, licensed foster care provider, and volunteer with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to also be a burglar, but it would certainly be a shock. The possibility exists that there is more going on here, but won’t know for sure until the police investigation is complete.
