(UnitedHeadlines.com) – Democratic Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell was arrested on April 22, charged with suspicion of burglary after police found her inside a home in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
Police found the 49-year-old former broadcast meteorologist inside the home when they responded to a call from the homeowner, Mitchell’s stepmother, reporting a burglary at 4:45 a.m. April 22. According to a criminal complaint, Mitchell was found wearing black clothing and a black hat and carrying a flashlight with a sock covering it, a black backpack with two laptops inside, a cell phone, a driver’s license, her Senate identification, and Tupperware.
According to Mitchell, she allegedly broke into the home through a window to get her late father‘s belongings, including photos, his ashes, a flannel shirt, and other sentimental items, because she said her stepmother would not give her the items.
As police arrested her, Mitchell allegedly said to her stepmother that she was “trying to get a couple of my dad’s things,” adding that her stepmother had stopped talking to her.
According to the criminal complaint, one of the laptops found inside the backpack was her stepmother’s laptop, who told police she did not give the laptop to Mitchell.
On April 23, a restraining order was issued against Mitchell, who was released from jail as long as she did not have contact with her stepmother or leave the state without the approval of the court. She is scheduled to be in court again on June 10.
Minnesota state Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, a Republican, said he expects “the consequences to meet the actions” in court and in the legislature.
With four weeks remaining in the legislative session, Democrats in the Minnesota state Senate hold a one-seat majority, meaning her absence will make it hard to pass legislation without bipartisan support.
Elected in 2022, Mitchell was a meteorologist for Minnesota Public Radio, KSTP-TV, and with the U.S. military. She is a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding a weather unit. She previously worked for The Weather Channel.
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