MN senator stripped of duties after burglary arrest

Democratic Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell will be removed from committee assignments and caucus meetings after she was arrested last week for a suspected burglary at her stepmother's home.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, a Democrat, released a statement obtained by FOX9 Minneapolis, saying that while the situation is tragic, "there are still questions that need to be answered."

Mitchell was elected to represent Minnesota's Senate District 47 in 2022. (Minnesota State Senate)

"While the case is under review both in the Senate and in the courts, Senator Mitchell will be relieved of her committee assignments and removed from caucus meetings," Murphy said.

Mitchell was charged with first-degree burglary on Tuesday after police arrested her early Monday at her stepmother’s home. Mitchell has denied the allegations and claimed that she was merely checking on an ill loved one.

Mitchell acknowledged that she entered through a window and told investigators she was trying to get her late father's ashes, photos, a flannel shirt and other items of sentimental value, according to a criminal complaint. Mitchell claimed her stepmother had stopped speaking to her after her father’s death and refused to give her the items.

Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 47, was charged with first-degree burglary on Tuesday. Mitchell denies the charge. (Becker County Jail)

Senate Republicans filed an ethics complaint against Mitchell before the Senate convened on Wednesday and forced a vote on a motion to immediately launch an investigation.

Mitchell, of Woodbury, has represented District 47 since she was elected to the state Senate in 2022. She was previously a meteorologist for KSTP-TV and Minnesota Public Radio and serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard.