Minnesota ethics panel to consider how to deal with senator charged with burglary

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota Senate ethics panel is expected to begin considering what to do with a lawmaker who’s charged with burglary for allegedly breaking into her estranged stepmother’s house. The panel holds its first hearing Tuesday to discuss whether to investigate further. Prosecutors say Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell told police she broke in last month because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father. Mitchell’s status has posed a dilemma for fellow Democrats because they hold a one-seat majority in the Senate. The Senate GOP complaint alleges her actions “betray the public trust and bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.”