(ProsperNews.net) – A Minnesota State Senator has been charged with burglary after cops found her in her stepmother’s home. Neighbors made a 911 call when they saw someone enter a house at 3.45 am, and when police responded, they found Senator Nicole Mitchell dressed in black, with a black hat and a torch covered by a sock. The Senator had a backpack with laptops and her state legislature identification. At the time, she reportedly told officers she was forced to take drastic action because her stepmother would not allow her to take sentimental items connected to her father, who had died the previous month.
Police detained Ms. Mitchell and charged her with first-degree burglary. She was later released without bond but warned not to make any contact with her stepmother.
Mitchell later took to Facebook to deny the charges and insisted she attended the home to check on her stepmother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and mistakenly believed her stepdaughter was stealing from her. The unnamed stepmother also said one of the laptops in Mitchell’s backpack belonged to her, and she had not given the Senator permission to take it.
Within days of the arrest, Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy announced that the Democrat was stripped of her committee positions and could no longer attend caucus meetings. The decision came despite Mitchell’s public expressions of gratitude for the support of her Democratic colleagues.
Ms. Murphy furthermore stated that Mitchell was referred to the Senate’s Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct. Some lawmakers called on the Senator to resign, but she has resisted. Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said Ms. Mitchell’s behavior was “unbecoming of a member of the Legislature.”
Mitchell’s attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Sr., insisted his client is entitled to the presumption of innocence but conceded that her political career is now subject to “internal discussions.” The former meteorologist is estranged from her stepmother, he explained, and their “fractured relationship” has worsened since the Senator’s father’s death and is exacerbated by age-related illness.
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