State Senator Arrested for Breaking Into Home

Los Angeles — A Minnesota state senator was arrested on suspicion of burglary after allegedly breaking into the official residence of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Sunday night.

Democratic Senator Nicole Mitchell, 49, of Woodbury was found inside the Getty House in Los Angeles and taken into custody by police. She is currently being held in the Becker County Jail nearly 300 miles away in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on suspicion of first-degree burglary, though formal charges have not yet been filed. 

Mayor Bass was not home at the time of the break-in, but the incident has raised serious security concerns around one of the nation's highest-ranking elected officials. Police have not released any details on a potential motive for the alleged crime.

Senator Mitchell represents a suburban district in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area and has served in the Minnesota Senate since 2017. She is the vice chair of the Senate's Housing Policy Committee.

The break-in comes just three months into Mayor Bass' term after she was sworn in as LA's first female mayor in December. Bass has made homelessness and housing insecurity a top priority, though it's unclear if those policies are related to Mitchell's suspected actions.

Law  enforcement is continuing to investigate the circumstances around the burglary and Mitchell's arrest. The case is likely to garner national attention given the high-profile nature of the target and suspect.