MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A state senator and former broadcast meteorologist was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of burglary in the northwest Minnesota town of Detroit Lakes, police said.
Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, of Woodbury, was being held in the Becker County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary. Formal charges were still pending Monday afternoon, Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd said.
Mitchell did not immediately respond to a call left on the jail’s voicemail system for inmates. It is unclear whether she has an attorney who could comment on her behalf. The police chief said he didn’t know of any.
Mitchell was arrested while the Senate was on Passover recess. His arrest comes at a delicate time for Senate Democrats, who hold only a one-seat majority with four weeks remaining in the legislative session. Its absence would make it difficult to pass any legislation lacking bipartisan support.
Mitchell worked as a meteorologist in the U.S. Army and for KSTP-TV and Minnesota Public Radio before being elected to the Senate in 2022 from a suburban St. Paul district. She still serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding a weather unit, her official profile states. She worked for The Weather Channel earlier in her career, her profile states.
Dispatchers received a 911 call at 4:45 a.m. from a homeowner about “an active burglary in progress at his residence,” Todd said in an interview. Officers searched the home and arrested Mitchell, Todd said.
The police chief said he could provide few other details because the case was still under investigation. He said he was awaiting a response from the county attorney’s office and that a complaint detailing the allegations may not be filed until Tuesday.
Becker County Prosecutor Brian McDonald did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the case.
Public records and an obituary posted by a Detroit Lakes funeral home show that Mitchell’s father, who died last month, and his stepmother lived on the same block of the same road in Detroit Lakes as where the senator was arrested. The mother-in-law did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.
Mitchell’s arrest surprised Senate leaders. The Senate Democratic caucus said in a statement that it was “aware of the situation and had no comment pending further information.”
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks said he was shocked but knew few details.
“The public expects lawmakers to uphold high standards of conduct,” Johnson said in a statement. “As information is released, we expect that the consequences will match the actions, both in the courts and in his role in the Legislature.”
