Who is Nicole Mitchell, the state senator accused of breaking into her stepmother’s house?

Nicole Mitchell, the Minnesota state senator who has been arrested on burglary charges, is serving her first term in the North Star State’s upper house.

The 49-year-old Democrat was elected to the Minnesota Senate in November 2022, after defeating Republican candidate Dwight Dorau with just under 59% of the vote.

Mitchell a former media meteorologist

Mitchell is a former TV meteorologist, having appeared on the Weather Channel, Al Jazeera, CBS News and Minneapolis-Saint Paul station KSTP-TV between 2004 and 2017. Before moving into politics two years ago, she also had a stint on Minnesota Public Radio.

In addition to working in the media and as a state senator, she has served in the Air National Guard since the 1990s, having joined after high school and begun her career in meteorology in the military.

“Both of my parents were in the military reserves and the guard and told me that they had a good program and that I should think about it,” Mitchell told an interview with Georgia State University in 2009. “Weather just sounded the most interesting. I like science and math so that was a good fit.”

She has a law degree from Georgia State, as well as being a graduate in speech communications from the University of Minnesota.

Mitchell charged with burglary after Monday incident

As reported by the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Mitchell was arrested early on Monday morning, when she was found inside a home belonging to her stepmother in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, around 200 miles from the state capital, Saint Paul.

Speaking to USA Today, Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd confirmed that she has been charged with first-degree burglary, which is a felony.

Per the criminal complaint against her, which has been seen by media outlets including AP, Mitchell told police that she was trying to retrieve items of sentimental value relating to her late father. These included his ashes.

What has Mitchell said about burglary charge?

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Mitchell denied stealing, and said she had entered the home to confirm the well-being of a relative with Alzheimer’s and “associated paranoia”.

“Like so many families, mine is dealing with the pain of watching a loved one decline due to Alzheimer’s and associated paranoia,” Mitchell wrote.

“Over the weekend, I learned of medical information which caused me grave concern and prompted me to check on that family member. I entered a home I have come and gone from countless times in the past 20 years, where my son even once had his own room.

“Unfortunately, I startled this close relative, exacerbating paranoia, and I was accused of stealing, which I absolutely deny.

“Thank you to all my friends (and colleagues of both parties) for the kind words of support and for trusting my character even before I had a chance to respond. This has been a true tragedy for our family and my hope is it can return to being a private matter.”

Per the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Mitchell has been released on bail on her own recognisance, with conditions including no contact with her stepmother