Minnesota Democratic senator arrested for first-degree burglary

Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell (D) gained national attention after her arrest Monday night. The Democrat represents district number 47 in the state Senate and was elected for the first time in 2022. She is currently the vice president of the Veterans Committee, and before politics, she worked as a television meteorologist.

According to Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd, officers responded to a homeowner who reported an early morning burglary at his home. When they arrived at the property, they found a woman inside who turned out to be Mitchell.

The senator was arrested and remains in custody, awaiting the county prosecutor's decision on her judicial situation. In terms of her legislative work, she co-authored a bill proposing that incarcerated people in the state be relocated from prisons to their last stated address and helped introduce legislation calling for criminal penalties for those who fail to comply with rules for the safe storage of firearms.

According to public records, Mitchell's father and stepmother lived on the same block of Detroit Lakes where the Democrat allegedly committed the crime.

Mitchell's arrest surprised her colleagues in the state Senate, and one of those who spoke out was Mark Johnson, the Republican minority leader.

"The public expects Legislators to meet a high standard of conduct. 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," he said in a statement.

In turn, a Minnesota Senate Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party spokesperson said the party was "aware of the situation and has no comment pending further information."