SENATOR ARREST
Who is Nicole Mitchell and what is the Minnesota state senator accused of?
The senator has been an advocate for gun control
A SENATOR has recently been caught up in controversy after she was seen in a mugshot.
Nicole Mitchell, who represents Woodbury, Minnesota, was arrested on April 22 and booked into the Becker County Jail.
5
Who is Nicole Mitchell?
Nicole Lynn Mitchell, 49, was elected in 2022 as a state senator for District 47.
She is a former television meteorologist and US Air Force reserve officer.
Mitchell is also the vice chair of the State and Local Government and Veterans Committee.
Mitchell worked for various channels including The Weather Channel, Al Jazeera America and CBS news as a weather forecaster.
read more on US news
She ran as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor party candidate at the 2022 Minnesota Senate election.
Mitchell defeated the Republican candidate Dwight Dora in the race for the Twin Cities suburbs of Woodbury and Maplewood.
She has assumed her position in January 2023 and has since advocated for policies on climate change, child protection, and veterans.
She has also helped draft a bill that introduces criminal penalty for those who fail to comply with safe firearm storage guidelines.
Most read in The US Sun
Less than a week before her arrest, Mitchell appeared at an event advocating for safer communities at the Minnesota Capitol building.
"Meaningful conversation today with @MomsDemand community members advocating for common sense gun reform & safer communities at #mnleg--as well as providing Minnesotans the mental health services they need to #EndGunViolence in our neighborhoods," she wrote in a tweet.
5
5
Is Nicole Mitchell married and does she have children?
Mitchell welcomed her son, Sam, in 2016 but it is unclear whether she is married.
She has also obtained a foster care licence in 2018, and has since cared full-time for six children, including three with special needs.
Her bio reads: "In her free time, Nicole has always believed strongly in a commitment to community service and volunteerism.
"The outreach she has done has included previously volunteering at a shelter for abused women, with children at a homeless shelter, as a Big Sister for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children."
5
What is Nicole Mitchell accused of?
Mitchell has been arrested for a suspected burglary in Detroit Lakes.
The Detroit Lakes Police Department was called to a home around 4:45 am after someone reported a robbery.
Police found a woman inside the home who was later identified as Mitchell, said Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd.
It is unclear at this time if she has been formally charged.
Mitchell's stepmother and late father previously lived at the home, where the senator was found, according to property tax records.
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Senate DFL Caucus said it was "aware of the situation and has no comment pending further information."
GOP Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said in a statement that he was shocked to hear of Mitchell's arrest.
Read More on The US Sun
"Knowing very few details at this time, I am shocked by the news of Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s arrest for first-degree burglary," he said.
"The public expects Legislators to meet a high standard of conduct. As information comes out, we expect the consequences to meet the actions, both in the court of law, and in her role at the legislature."
5