The felony case could threaten the DFL senator’s career and the political balance of the Minnesota Senate, which her party controls by a single vote.

The fate of Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, charged with burglarizing her stepmother's home in Detroit Lakes last year, is now in the hands of a jury on Friday afternoon after the defense rested its case and both sides gave their closing arguments.

Sen. Nicole Mitchell took the stand in her own defense in her felony burglary trial Thursday, depicting herself as a concerned stepdaughter who took steps to conduct a welfare check on her stepmother without being seen.