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A state senator in Minnesota plans to resign after she was convicted Friday of felony burglary stemming from a 2024 break-in at her stepmother’s home.
State Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 51, will vacate her position by early Aug. 4, the Associated Press confirmed, citing her attorney. She represents State Senate District 47, in the suburbs east of St. Cloud, and is part of the Democratic Farm-to-Labor Party (DFL).
She was also found guilty of a second felony, possession of burglary tools.
Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell is accused of breaking into her stepmother’s home in April 2024. (Detroit Lakes Police Department)
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In the next week-and-a-half, she will reportedly “wrap up her legislative duties” before officially ending her service.
Mitchell was arrested on April 22, 2024, and claimed that she had entered her stepmother Carol Mitchell’s Detroit Lakes home to retrieve her late father’s ashes and other belongings, which she said Carol would not hand over.
Police bodycam footage from her arrest shows her sitting in the back of the police cruiser and telling an officer she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things.”
“Clearly, I’m not good at this,” she said during her arrest.
During her trial, she reportedly testified that she did trespass at the home, but did not intend to steal anything. Rather, she said she was checking in on Carol, who had Alzheimer’s disease.
Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, D-Woodbury, right, listens to the state’s closing arguments during the fifth day of her felony burglary trial, July 18, at Becker County District Court in Detroit Lakes. (Anna Paige/The Forum via AP, Pool)
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Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, herself a member of the DFL, called for Mitchell’s resignation upon her conviction.
“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. “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.”
State Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson is pushing for Mitchell’s immediate resignation, instead of waiting until Aug. 4.
(Becker County Jail/Minnesota State Senate)
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“Senator Mitchell was convicted of two felonies; she doesn’t get to give the Senate two weeks’ notice,” he reportedly said. “The only reason Mitchell is still in office is because Democrats needed her vote to pass their agenda and refused to hold her accountable during session.”
Mitchell did not immediately return a comment request.