On Friday, Democrat Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell was found guilty of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools.
Mitchell burglarized her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. She committed her crime on April 22, 2024 and is only now announcing her resignation from the state senate.
Mitchell’s conviction in court was a forgone conclusion as her testimony on the stand consisted of her reasoning that she appeared in her stepmother’s house to conduct a “welfare check.”
However, this testimony fell short of the police body-camera footage depicting Mitchell’s arrest as she had entered her stepmother’s house wearing all black clothing and a ski mask that she had not pulled down over her face. Additionally, during her arrest, she told officers that she “just trying to get some of my dad's things.“
“I know I did something bad," Mitchell told one officer.
Although Mitchell’s conviction in court appeared to be a forgone conclusion, in her testimony on the stand she claimed she was merely at her stepmother’s house to conduct a “welfare check.”
Mitchell even alleged in court that she and her stepmother had always been close, yet her step mother refuted the claim in court stating “Nicole never let me get close to her,” and that she felt “extremely violated” by Mitchell’s invasion of her home.
It took the jury only three hours to come to a verdict of guilty. Mitchell now faces a minimum of 180 days and a maximum 20 years in prison. However, the judge overseeing Mitchell’s trial has said she may remain free until her sentencing, which has been scheduled for Sept. 10.
With the verdict, Mitchell has seen fit to give the state Senate her two weeks’ notice, scheduling her resignation for Aug 4, 2025, in order to give herself time to secure insurance for her son.
Mitchell’s verdict and resignation could spell disaster for the Democrats in Minnesota as they hold a one-seat majority and have relied on her vote for the past year, though she is no longer included in caucus meetings or committees.
Her departure would have meant the end of the Democrat’s majority in the chamber, but in a tragic turn of events, Republican State Senator Bruce Anderson died unexpectedly on Monday, keeping the balance of power unchanged.
Governor Tim Walz, (MN-D) is expected to call special elections in both their districts to fill the vacancies.
Whether or not the current balance of power will remain the same in light of Anderson’s death and Mitchell’s scandal waits to be seen. While the state may be anxiously waiting to see which way the chamber majority will go, Republican State Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson says he can’t wait for Mitchell’s resignation and for the Senate to move forward:
“Senator Mitchell was convicted of two felonies; she doesn’t get to give the Senate two weeks’ notice.
“Democrats shielded Mitchell for 15 months to protect their political power, but a jury needed just three hours to confirm what was already clear: she shouldn’t be a senator. Not after April 22, 2024. Not in January of 2025. And not today.”