Minnesota Democrat Convicted Of Burglary Resigns From Senate

Democratic Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell announced her resignation from the state senate on Friday after being convicted of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools for breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home on April 22, 2024.

Her conviction was all but assured after she testified that she’d entered her stepmother’s home simply to perform a “welfare check,” CNS News reported late last week.

Her account was undermined by body‑cam footage showing her dressed in all black with a ski mask still over her face—and by her admission during the arrest that she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things.”

“I know I did something bad,” Mitchell told a police officer.

Mitchell claimed she entered the residence to retrieve belongings that had belonged to her late father, and said her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

According to Axios, Mitchell admitted during testimony that she had trespassed and lied to police about her reasons for being there, but insisted her actions were motivated by concern for her stepmother’s well-being.

Video footage of Mitchell inside a police cruiser, handcuffed while being questioned, was shown at her trial. In the footage, she told an officer she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things,” adding, “Clearly, I’m not good at this.”

She also told police officers her stepmom “wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” which is why she resorted to breaking into the Detroit Lakes home.

“She’s my stepdaughter,” Carol Mitchell told a responding officer, according to police bodycam video presented at trial. “She’s also a Minnesota senator.”

“She’s a senator?” an officer asked.

“Yes, well was,” Carol tells the officer before he asks if she’s currently serving in office.

“Well, she is. I meant after this…” Carol responded, referring to the pending arrest.

Mitchell said she was trying to retrieve her father’s ashes, photographs, clothing, and other sentimental belongings. When police arrested her, they found a flashlight covered with a black sock in her possession.

Officers also searched a black backpack she was carrying and discovered two laptops, a cellphone, a driver’s license, Senate ID, and several Tupperware containers, Fox reported.

In the body-cam footage, Mitchell is seen lying face-down on the floor as officers place her in handcuffs.

“I was just trying to get some of my dad’s things because she wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” she said.

Prosecutors argued that the now-former state senator strategically parked a short distance away as part of a calculated plan, while her defense maintained she was simply a concerned stepdaughter trying to help a family member.

In her testimony, Carol Mitchell said she felt “extremely violated” by the alleged break-in.

Mitchell had faced bipartisan calls to resign following her arrest, though some defended her right to due process. She faces anywhere from a minimum of six months to a maximum of 20 years behind bars, Fox News reported.

Now that she has, Gov. Tim Walz will have to call for a special election to fill her seat, reports said.

Among her supporters was Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, a fellow member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).

“Senator Mitchell has been afforded due process, a trial by a jury of her peers, and that jury has delivered a verdict. I am relieved to see the end of Senator Mitchell’s trial. The case’s resolution brings clarity to the situation,” Murphy said in a statement issued by the DFL after the verdict.

“Senator Mitchell has told colleagues that she intended to resign if found guilty of this crime, and I expect her to follow through on that pledge. Our caucus remains focused on the issues that matter to Minnesotan families and communities,” Murphy added.