Former Minnesota state Senator Nicole Mitchell, a Democrat, received a six-month jail sentence Tuesday after being convicted of felony burglary for breaking into her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes in April 2024.
Speaking in court before sentencing, Mitchell expressed remorse, admitting she had “made continuous bad decisions.” She told the judge, “I messed everything up, and I did something wrong. I want to work on being a better person and use this time to reflect on how I might repair the harm I caused.”
Becker County Judge Michael Fritz allowed Mitchell to serve her 180-day sentence at Ramsey County Jail under a work-release program. Mitchell’s lawyers noted that the former military and broadcast meteorologist recently began working at a fast-food restaurant. In addition to jail time, Mitchell will be on probation for five years.
Mitchell, who was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2022 as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, resigned a week after a jury found her guilty of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. The conviction carried a mandatory minimum of six months in jail.
According to a criminal complaint, Mitchell told investigators she entered her stepmother Carol Mitchell’s home—where Carol, who has Alzheimer’s, lives—to retrieve items belonging to her late father, including ashes, photos, a flannel shirt, and other sentimental belongings. She reportedly entered through a window dressed in all black.
Officers investigating the incident discovered a black backpack stuck in the window containing two laptops, a cellphone, a Senate ID, and Tupperware products. Mitchell had a flashlight wrapped in a black sock at the scene. During testimony, Carol Mitchell described feeling “extremely violated” by the break-in.
After the sentencing, Carol Mitchell told The Minnesota Star Tribune that she felt six months was too short a punishment for what she endured. “But at least I know it’s going to hurt her… losing her children and losing her job… I guess there are definitely repercussions for what she did,” she said.
