State Sen. Mitchell to resign following burglary conviction

WOODBURY, MINN. – DFL State Senator Nicole Mitchell will resign her seat after a Becker County jury convicted her of burglary and possession of burglary tools.

Mitchell will step down by 5:00 PM August 4 according to her attorney Dane DeKrey.

Until then, DeKrey says Mitchell will wrap-up legislative projects, complete constituent services, help legislative staff find new jobs and get health insurance for her son since her coverage is through her job in the Senate.

“Senator Mitchell’s staff deserves her help in finding new employment, as her conduct should not negatively impact their careers and livelihoods,” DeKrey wrote in a press release.  “It was the honor of her lifetime to serve her District and the State of Minnesota.

A Senate Republican leader pushed back on the news.

“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,” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks, wrote in a statement.

“Senator Mitchell has now gotten the due process she is entitled to, and has been found guilty by a jury of her peers.  She has said she would resign if a guilty verdict were rendered, and I expect her to do so. This verdict also brings some closure to Carol Mitchell, who unfortunately has had to endure a lot.  I plan to continue to focus on the issues that matter to Minnesota and to the people I represent,” DFL State Senator Rob Kupec of Moorhead wrote in a statement July 18.

Mitchell testified she regretted breaking into her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes in April 2024, but claims she was there out of concern for her stepmother who suffers from Alzheimer’s.

At the time, Mitchell told police she was there to collect items that belonged to her late stepmother.

Mitchell could face up to 20 years for her burglary conviction and up to three years on the possession of burglary tools charge at sentencing.

A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

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