Nicole Mitchell, a former Minnesota state senator, was sentenced to six months in prison for breaking into her stepmother’s home. The 180-day sentence will be served on work release, allowing Mitchell to leave prison daily for employment. She faced up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of first-degree burglary.

Mitchell, a former Air National Guard commander and TV meteorologist, was caught sneaking into her stepmother’s residence in Detroit Lakes in April 2024. Surveillance footage showed her dressed entirely in black, including a cap, as she crawled around the bedroom floor. She admitted to fleeing when her stepmother woke up and confronted her, stating, “I deserve whatever she would’ve yelled at me.”

The court granted Mitchell’s request to serve her sentence on work release in Ramsey County, where she resides. Her attorneys revealed she recently secured a job at a fast-food restaurant. Judge Michael Fritz ordered her to report for sentencing by October 8, with the possibility of early release after four months. The judge also stayed a 21-month prison term contingent on her compliance with probation terms.

Prosecutor Brian McDonald criticized the sentence as “preferential treatment” and cited Mitchell’s failure to resign her Senate seat until July 25, weeks after her conviction. Gov. Tim Walz scheduled special elections for November 4 to fill the vacant district seat.