A Minnesota senator was convicted of allegedly breaking into her estranged stepmother's House plan to resign in early August, her lawyer said Monday.
Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell has resigned immediately since Friday's conviction. The jury considered it for three hours before she found out she was guilty of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools.
The 51-year-old lawmaker will need two weeks to summarize her legislative duties and secure health insurance for her son when she resigns on August 4, her lawyer wrote in a statement.
Mitchell represents a tendency suburban suburb outside a divided state Senate.
Following last week's verdict, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy Mitchell said Mitchell told colleagues she plans to resign if convicted: “I hope she can keep that promise.”
Senate Republic leader Mark Johnson issued a statement Monday prompting Mitchell to resign immediately instead of waiting for two weeks.
“Senator Mitchell was convicted of two felony crimes; she did not give the Senate two weeks notice,” he wrote in a statement Monday. “The only reason Mitchell is still in office is that Democrats need to vote to pass the agenda and refuse to be held accountable during the meeting.”
Mitchell was arrested on April 22, 2024 and told police she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items, such as the ashes of her late father and other items. Mitchell's father and stepmother Carol Mitchell have been married for 40 years.
Later, in the stands, lawmakers retrospectively looked back at her statement and said she had no intention of doing anything to check the well-being of her stepmother with Alzheimer's disease.