DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — The jury in the trial of state Senator Nicole Mitchell convicted her of burglarizing her late father’s home. It’s a felony conviction. Mitchell, a Democrat elected from the east St. Paul suburb of Woodbury, has said she would resign from the Senate if convicted. If she indeed resigns, the narrow 34-33 Democratic majority in the Senate, becomes a 33-33 deadlock pending a special election to fill the seat. Under Minnesota law, a convicted felon may hold elected office, just as does President Trump under federal law. The jurors, drawn from the Becker County jury pool, deliberated only four hours — five days after being empaneled. The jury found Mitchell guilty on both counts against her:
> First-degree burglary.
> Possession of burglary tools.
The burglary was in April 2024. Mitchell claimed she sneaked into the home of her stepmother to retrieve her father’s ashes and family mementos. She said her dementia-afflicted stepmother had become impossible to deal with.
Mitchell. Next choice hers: Resign from Senate, as she has said if convicted? Stick it out until her term expires in January 2027? Appeal the conviction? Image: A.J. Olmscheid