Former Minnesota lawmaker now serving six-month jail sentence

Nicole Mitchell (Sept. 23, 2025 media pool photo Forum Comm. via AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KFGO) – Former state senator Nichole Mitchell of Woodbury has begun to serve her jail sentence.

An attorney for the ex-lawmaker says the Democrat has reported to Ramsey County Corrections in St. Paul. Mitchell was ordered to spend six months in jail with work release privileges at her sentencing hearing late last month in Becker County District Court. At that time, the judge was told that Mitchell had a job at a fast food restaurant.

Mitchell, who’s 51, was convicted of breaking into the Detroit Lakes home of her stepmother in April of 2024.

She initially told police that she broke in through a basement window because her stepmother refused to give her mementos, like her late father’s ashes and other belongings. During her trial last July, Mitchell testified that didn’t actually she did not intend to take anything and only wanted to check on her stepmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Mitchell was originally ordered to turn herself in by Oct. 8.