The Minnesota state senator and Air Force vet facing burglary charges has been stripped of committee assignments.
On Sunday morning, Minnesota Sen. Majority Leader Erin Murphy announced Democrat Nicole Mitchell, 49, ‘will be relieved of her committee assignments and removed from caucus meetings.’
Mitchell, who also worked as a meteorologist , allegedly broke into her stepmother’s home on April 22 in an attempt to retrieve her late father’s possessions.
She was charged with one count of first-degree burglary, a felony, and was released on the condition that she does not contact her stepmother. Mitchell has denied she broke into the home and ignored calls for her resignation.
Murphy called Mitchell’s situation ‘tragic’ and revealed the case has been referred to the Senate’s Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct.
Minnesota state senator, Nicole Mitchell, 49, was stripped of of committee assignments on Sunday morning after being charged with one count of first-degree burglary, a felony
Minnesota Sen. Majority Leader Erin Murphy called Mitchell’s situation ‘tragic’ and revealed that the case has been referred to the Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct
Mitchell allegedly broke into her stepmother’s home on April 22 in an attempt to retrieve her late father’s possessions
The day after the alleged burglary, state lawmakers called for Mitchell to resign.
‘This behavior is unbecoming of a member of the Legislature and she needs to resign from the Senate immediately,’ Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said in a statement on Tuesday.
Mitchel has said at the time of the alleged incident, she was trying to retrieve some items that belonged to her late father, Rod, who passed away in March 2023.
The suspect went on to accuse her stepmother of no longer speaking with her about her father’s possessions. In a statement, Mitchell said that her stepmother is suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.
On Wednesday, a judge slapped Mitchell with a restraining order as she appeared in court over Zoom.
Police said that Mitchell admitted to leaving her home in Woodbury at 1am as she planned to drive to Detroit Lakes, where her late father lived with her stepmother.
She told authorities she went there to retrieve a flannel shirt, ashes, pictures and other sentimental items.
Mitchell’s attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Sr., said in an interview the dispute arose out of a ‘fractured relationship’ between the senator and her stepmother that has been aggravated by age-related issues.
‘It’s not exactly the wicked stepmother from Cinderella,’ Ringstrom said.
Ringstrom said he’s sure there will be ‘internal discussions’ among Senate Democrats regarding her future, but she’s entitled to a presumption of innocence.
He said he told her to suppress her instincts ‘as a media person, a weather person and politician,’ and that she agreed ‘to hold her tongue and say nothing.’
Nicole Mitchell pictured with her father, Rod, in a photo posted to Facebook in 2011. Rod Mitchell passed away in March 2023
She told authorities that she went to her late father’s home that he shared with her stepmother to retrieve a flannel shirt, ashes, pictures and other sentimental items. (pictured: Mitchell speaking to the Senate Floor)
Mitchell, who was also a former radio and TV meteorologist, has denied the charges but did not explain why she entered the home without permission in the middle of the night
But in a post on Facebook, Mitchell later denied stealing. She did not, however, explain why she entered the home without permission in the middle of the night.
‘Like so many families, mine is dealing with the pain of watching a loved one decline due to Alzheimer´s and associated paranoia. … This has been a true tragedy for our family and my hope is it can return to being a private matter,’ Mitchell wrote.
Her father died in March 2023 at the age of 72, according to his obituary. He had been married to Mitchell´s stepmother for 40 years, it said.
‘I know I did something bad,’ the criminal complaint quoted Mitchell as saying.
Mitchell was dressed all in black and wearing a black hat when she was arrested, the complaint said. The officer said he discovered a flashlight near her that was covered with a black sock, apparently modified to control the amount of light coming from it.
The lawmaker acknowledged entering through a basement window that had been propped open with a black backpack, the complaint said.
Officers found her Senate ID inside it. She claimed her stepmother had given her a laptop found in her backpack ‘way back when,’ but the stepmother disputed that. The senator, who has a law degree, also indicated that she got caught soon after entering.
‘Clearly I’m not good at this,’ she said, according to the complaint.
The stepmother said in an interview that she’s afraid of her stepdaughter. She also said that although most of her husband’s ashes were buried, she sent Mitchell a miniature container with some of them.
Ringstrom, however, said that account is ‘not totally accurate.’
Mitchell was a meteorologist with the U.S. military, KSTP-TV, Minnesota Public Radio and The Weather Channel before she was elected in 2022 from a suburban St. Paul district.
Mitchell represents the 47th district and 85,000 residents. Her district includes the city of Woodbury outside of St. Paul.
During her time in the Senate, Mitchell has worked on policies relating to veterans, child protection and climate change.
She also helped introduce a bill calling for criminal penalties for those who fail to meet safe firearm storage standards while also co-authoring a bill proposing incarcerated people in the state to be relocated from prisons to their last stated address.
On her campaign page, Mitchell noted that for an end-of-session party in 2023 she planned to hold a fundraiser to continue to work on ‘reproductive rights, climate change, voting rights, gun safety, trans rights and addressing hunger in Minnesota.’
Mitchell was born in Fargo and raised in Minnesota, with her family moving to Woodbury in 1986, according to her official bio.
She was editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper and was elected Woodbury Days Princess.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and worked for a TV station in Duluth as an assignment manager. (pictured: Mitchell casting an early vote in September 2022)
During her time in the military she served as a meteorologist for the Air Force’s ‘Hurricane Hunters’ which flies planes into storms to gather details before they impact America
She joined the military out of high school and worked for the Air National Guard as a Weather Observer then forecaster.
During her time in the military she served as a meteorologist for the Air Force’s ‘Hurricane Hunters’ which flies planes into storms to gather details before they impact America.
She flew into hurricanes Charley, Katrina, Wilma and Harvey.
‘As both a well-respected communicator, military member, and scientist, Nicole is often personally requested for speaking events and engagement in the military community,’ her bio reads.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and worked for a TV station in Duluth as an assignment manager. She later started to do the TV weather.
Mitchell worked as a TV meteorologist in Rapid City, South Dakota, South Bend, Indiana and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Air Force vet moved back to Minnesota in 2016 to start her family – her son is now five – and worked for TV and radio as a meteorologist before running for office.
Mitchell obtained her foster care license in 2018 and provided for six kids in full-time care, including three with special needs.
Mitchell´s next court appearance is set for June 10.
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