XPost: talk.politics.misc, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.politics.democrats.d XPost: sac.politics, mn.politics

A Minnesota state senator was convicted of burglary Friday for breaking
into her estranged stepmother’s home, and faced calls for her immediate resignation from a closely divided chamber where she holds a deciding
vote.

After about three hours of deliberations, the jury found Democratic state
Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 51, guilty of first-degree burglary and possession
of burglary tools. She told police right after her arrest that she went
there to search for her father’s ashes and other mementos, but tried to
back away from that story on the witness stand.

Mitchell displayed little emotion as the verdicts were read.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy was quick to issue a
statement saying that Mitchell has told colleagues that she planned to
resign if convicted, “and I expect her to follow through on that pledge.”

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson reiterated the GOP’s long- standing demand for immediate resignation or face expulsion.

Gov. Tim Walz’s office said he expects her to resign. But one of
Mitchell’s attorneys, Dane DeKrey, said in text messages that he didn’t know if she would heed the calls. He said they’re exploring their options
for an appeal.

The Democrat from the St. Paul suburb of Woodbury maintained her innocence
and refused to resign since her arrest in the early hours of April 22,
2024, at her stepmother’s home in the northwestern Minnesota city of
Detroit Lakes.

Mitchell’s father died in 2023 at the age of 72. He had been married to Mitchell’s stepmother, Carol Mitchell, for nearly 40 years.

The jury saw bodycam video of Mitchell telling police repeatedly after her arrest that she broke into the home because her stepmother refused to give
her items of sentimental value from her father, including some of his
ashes, photos and a flannel shirt.

The first-term senator was dressed in all-black and had a flashlight
covered with a black sock when she was arrested. The video showed her
telling police, “Clearly, I’m not good at this,” and “I know I did something bad.”

But Mitchell testified Thursday that despite what she told police, she
didn’t really intend to take anything. She said she had become
increasingly concerned about her stepmother’s worsening memory problems
and paranoia, and wanted to check on her well-being. She testified her stepmother was afraid of being put in a nursing home. Mitchell said she
thought her stepmom would be less upset to hear she wanted some of her father’s items than to have her competency questioned.

The former broadcast meteorologist and now-retired Air National Guard
officer was convicted of one count of first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling, a felony that carries a mandatory minimum of six months in jail
if there’s an intent to steal. She was also convicted on a count of possessing burglary tools, a lesser felony without a mandatory minimum.

The judge did not set a sentencing date.

The prosecutor, Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald urged jurors Friday
to focus on “the many lies of Nicole Mitchell” and evaluate her testimony with reason and common sense. And he urged them to review the body camera
video showing what she told police after her arrest.

“I submit to you she was telling the truth on April 22nd, 2024. And if you believe that she was telling the truth to the officers, then you know she
had the intent to steal. She told you. She told the officers.”

Defense attorney Bruce Ringstrom Jr. told the jury that Mitchell did not
steal anything and did not intend to. He conceded that she used poor
judgment. He said everybody has told “white lies,” and that Mitchell’s goal was to avoid aggravating her stepmother’s distrust even further.

“We all know the difference between a white lie and a meaningful, damaging one,” Ringstrom said. “The problem is that this happened in the context of something that was a terrible mess, a mess that Nicole made. But it was a mess.”

Under such difficult circumstances, Ringstrom argued, “Nicole’s white lies make perfect sense.”

Mitchell’s rejection of calls for her resignation after her arrest frayed relations between Democrats and Republicans in the narrowly divided state Senate.

Democrats hold only a one-seat majority in the Senate, so they needed her
vote. They said she deserved to have the legal process play out.

Republicans periodically tried to kick her out of the chamber but lacked
the votes. The Senate can’t vote to expel her until it next convenes, and it’s not due to meet again until February.

If she resigns, the governor would schedule a special election. His office
said it would provide more information soon. Mitchell’s district mostly
votes Democratic. The Harris-Walz ticket carried it with 61% of the vote
last year.

https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-state-senator-nicole-mitchell-guilty- burglary-696586410ee64866c7711ea0910b836e

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