❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former Minnesota Democrat state senator Nicole Mitchell was sentenced to six months in jail for breaking into her estranged stepmother’s home.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Nicole Mitchell, her stepmother Carol Mitchell, Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald, and Judge Michael Fritz.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The sentencing occurred on September 23, 2025, in Becker County, Minnesota; the break-in happened in April 2024 in Detroit Lakes.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I don’t think there is anything I can say or do that will ever be big enough to repair the harm that I’ve done.” – Nicole Mitchell.
🎯IMPACT: Mitchell’s conviction leaves her suburban district without representation until a special election in November, potentially affecting the narrow Democrat majority in the state Senate.
Nicole Mitchell, a former Minnesota Democrat state senator and ally of Governor Tim Walz (D), was sentenced to six months in jail for breaking into her estranged stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes. The incident occurred in April 2024, and Mitchell was convicted of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. She will serve her sentence on work release in Ramsey County, where she lives, beginning October 8.
Mitchell, 51, admitted to the court, “I don’t think there is anything I can say or do that will ever be big enough to repair the harm that I’ve done.” The judge allowed her to serve the 180-day sentence on work release and stayed a 21-month prison term contingent on her compliance with probation. Under Minnesota law, she could be released in four months.
Prosecutor Brian McDonald criticized the decision to let Mitchell serve her sentence outside Becker County, calling it “preferential treatment.” He also noted her refusal to resign from the Senate until a week after her conviction. Mitchell represented a suburban district in the closely divided Senate, often casting decisive votes.
Body camera footage played during the trial showed Mitchell in the basement of her stepmother’s home dressed in black with a flashlight covered by a sock. She reportedly told police, “Clearly, I’m not good at this,” and admitted, “I know I did something bad.”
Carol Mitchell, the victim, stated in court, “Fear has moved in with me to stay. How could I ever trust Nicole again?” Gov. Walz has scheduled a special election for November 4 to fill Mitchell’s seat, as well as the seat of a Republican senator who passed away.
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