Minnesota lawmaker's arrest is at least the 6th to hit state House, Senate in recent years
Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell's arrest this week follows a handful of other sitting Minnesota lawmakers who have been arrested while serving in office.
Mitchell is one of at least six Minnesota legislators who have been arrested and are still serving the state's Senate or House of Representatives, as first reported by local outlet Minnesota Reformer.
Mitchell, 49, was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary after she was found inside the home of a relative with dementia in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Police Chief Steve Todd previously told USA TODAY. The city is roughly 200 miles northwest of the district she represents. She was booked at the Becker County Jail on Monday and released without bail the day after, local media reported.
Mitchell, who was wearing all-black clothing and a hat when she was arrested, told police she was picking up her father's ashes and other sentimental items, USA TODAY previously reported. On Tuesday, in a Facebook post, the senator said she learned medical information that caused her to visit the family member.
A Republican push to expedite an ethics investigation failed on a tie vote, the Associated Press reported, as the Minnesota State Capitol grapples with another arrest of one of its own lawmakers.
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Other Minnesota lawmakers arrested
Five other Minnesota lawmakers who have been arrested in recent years differ in title and party, but they have one thing in common: they were all arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated.
State Rep. Brion Curran, Democratic Farmer Labor Party-36B
In October 2023, Curran, a former Chisago County Sheriff’s deputy, was arrested after driving into a ditch and refusing to complete a sobriety test, reports Kare 11.
According to the news outlet, Curran's blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit at the time of being pulled over. The legal limit in the state is 0.08%, according to Minnesota's Office of Traffic Safety.
Curran pled guilty to the DWI in January in exchange for having other charges dropped. The state representative was fined $485, was set to serve two days at the Chisago County Jail and received a stayed 88-day jail sentence. Curran will also be on supervised probation for two years, reports the Pioneer Press.
State Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-14B
Wolgamott pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DWI charge after he was pulled over in July 2023 with a blood alcohol level of 0.099, reports CBS News Minnesota.
He was fined $400 by the court and given two years of supervised probation, reports KSTP. He also received a stayed 45-day sentence contingent on completing probation, states CBS.
Rep. Matt Grossell
State Rep. Matt Grossell pleaded guilty and was convicted of a misdemeanor DWI after a February 2023 arrest in which his blood alcohol level was recorded at 0.15 after speeding, local media including the Minnesota Reformer reported.
He was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but received credit for one day served and had the other 89 days stayed, according to Lakeland PBS. He was also fined $510 and placed on a two-year, supervised probation.
Grossell was also arrested and cited in 2019 after an incident at a bar and refusing to leave a St. Paul hospital, MPR News previously reported.
State Sen. Tou Xiong
On January 2022, the same year he was elected to the senate, then-Rep. Tou Xiong was serving his second term in the Minnesota House of Representatives when he was arrested and charged with a DWI. He was caught driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.11 and booked into the Anoka County Jail, reports StarTribune.
According to CBS News, the senator pled guilty to the DWI and was placed on probation for a year and forced to pay court fees. He also received a stayed 90-day jail sentence, pending completion of probation.
Sen. John Jasinski
On October 3, 2020, Jasinski was arrested for driving while intoxicated and cited with a DWI in northern Minnesota.
Local media reported the senator pleaded guilty to careless driving after previously reporting not guilty. A DWI charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement, KROC reported. He was placed on unsupervised probation for a year, reports the Owatonna People's Press.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell's arrest comes after handful of others
