Police in the northwest Minnesotan city of Detroit Lakes reported that a state legislator and former TV meteorologist was taken into custody early on Monday on suspicion of burglary.
Woodbury-based Democratic Senator Nicole Mitchell, 49, was being detained in the Becker County Jail on accusations of first-degree burglary. Chief Steve Todd of Detroit Lakes Police indicated that formal charges were still pending Monday afternoon.
Mitchell did not pick up a call left for prisoners on the jail’s voicemail system right away. Whether or not she has an attorney who may speak for her is unclear. The head of police mentioned not knowing of any.
Mitchell was taken into custody when the Senate was off for Passover. For Senate Democrats, who have just a one-seat majority and four weeks remaining in the legislative term, her arrest comes at an inopportune moment. Anything without bipartisan backing would be hard to pass in her absence.
Prior to her 2022 Senate election from a suburban St. Paul seat, Mitchell had meteorological positions with the U.S. military, KSTP-TV, and Minnesota Public Radio. Her official profile still lists her as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, in charge of a weather unit. In the past, her profile said, she was employed by The Weather Channel.
In an interview, Todd stated that a homeowner reported “an active burglary in process at her residence” to dispatchers around 4:45 a.m. Todd reported that after searching the house, officers detained Mitchell.
The chief of police stated that as the matter was still being investigated, he could not give many more specifics. He said a complaint outlining the accusations might not be submitted until Tuesday and that he was awaiting a response from the county attorney’s office.
According to an obituary published by a funeral home in Detroit Lakes, Mitchell’s stepmother and father, who passed away last month, shared a block of the same road in Detroit Lakes as the senator’s arrest site. The stepmother did not answer a call asking for comment right away.
It surprised Senate leaders when Mitchell was arrested. “Aware of the situation and has no comment pending further information,” the Senate Democratic Caucus stated in a statement.
East Grand Forks Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson expressed surprise but stated he was not familiar with many specifics.
“The public expects legislators to behave to a high standard,” Johnson stated in a release. “We anticipate that as details surface, the actions will be met by the consequences, in the court of law and in her capacity as legislator.”