MINNEAPOLIS — A state senator and former broadcast meteorologist was arrested on suspicion of robbery early Monday in the northwestern Minnesota city of Detroit Lakes, police said.
Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, of Woodbury, was being held in the Becker County Jail on suspicion of first-degree robbery. Formal charges were still pending Monday afternoon, Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd said.
Mitchell did not immediately return a call left on the prison voicemail system for inmates. It is unclear whether she has an attorney who can comment on her behalf. The police chief said he didn’t know any.
Mitchell was arrested while the Senate was on Easter vacation. His arrest comes at a difficult time for Senate Democrats, who hold a one-seat majority with four weeks left in the legislative session. His absence would make it difficult to pass any legislation that lacks bipartisan support.
Mitchell worked as a meteorologist in the U.S. Army and at KSTP-TV and Minnesota Public Radio before being elected to the Senate in 2022 from a suburban St. Louis district. She still serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding a weather unit. , says its official profile. She worked for The Weather Channel early in her career, her profile says.
Dispatchers received a 911 call at 4:45 a.m. from a homeowner about “an active burglary in progress at her residence,” Todd said in an interview. Officers searched the home and arrested Mitchell, Todd said.
The police chief said he could provide few other details because the case was still under investigation. He said he was awaiting a response from the county attorney’s office and that a complaint detailing the charges might not be filed until Tuesday.
Becker County Prosecutor Brian McDonald did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the case.
Public records and an obituary published by a Detroit Lakes funeral home show that Mitchell’s father, who died last month, and his stepmother lived on the same block on the same road in Detroit Lakes where the senator was arrested. The stepmother did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Mitchell’s arrest caught Senate leaders by surprise. The Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement that it is “aware of the situation and has no comment pending further information.”
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks said he was shocked but knew few details.
“The public expects lawmakers to meet a high standard of conduct,” Johnson said in a statement. “As information emerges, we hope that the consequences will follow the actions, both in court and in his role in the legislature.”
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