Democratic State Sen. Nicole Mitchell, right, of Woodbury, on the floor of the Minnesota Senate on April 2, 2024, at the State Capitol. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (KFGO) – A state senator from Woodbury, Minnesota has now been charged with burglary for breaking into her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes.
Nicole Mitchell, 49, told police that she broke into the house to retrieve some of her late father’s belongings, including his ashes. Police say Mitchell told responding officers that her stepmother had broken off contact with the family.
Mitchell was dressed all in black and wearing a black hat, the complaint said. The officer said he discovered a flashlight near her that was covered with a black sock, apparently modified to control the amount of light coming from it.
The complaint, filed in Becker County District Court in Detroit Lakes, charges Mitchell with one count of first-degree burglary, a felony.
“I know I did something bad,” the complaint quoted Mitchell as saying after she was told of her right to remain silent.
Mitchell’s father, Rod Mitchell, died last month, according to an obituary posted by a Detroit Lakes funeral home. He had been married to Mitchell’s stepmother for 40 years, it said.
Mitchell told the officer she was after pictures, a flannel shirt, ashes and other items, but that her stepmother had ceased all contact with her and that they weren’t speaking, the complaint said. But it was the ashes that got her “to this stage,” it said.
The senator acknowledged that she had entered the house through a basement window that had been propped open with a black backpack, the complaint said. Officers found her Minnesota Senate ID inside it, along with her driver’s license, two laptop computers, a cellphone and Tupperware containers, the complaint said. She indicated that she got caught soon after entering.
“Clearly I’m not good at this,” it quoted her as saying.
The stepmother said in an interview that she’s afraid of her stepdaughter and applied for a restraining order against her. She also said that while most of her husband’s ashes were buried, she sent Mitchell a miniature container with some of them.
Mitchell was arrested while the Senate is on its Passover break. Her arrest comes at an awkward time for Senate Democrats, who hold just a one-seat majority with just under four weeks left in the legislative session. Her absence would make it difficult to pass any legislation that lacks bipartisan support.
Mitchell’s arrest took Senate leaders by surprise. The Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement Monday that it’s “aware of the situation and has no comment pending further information.”
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson, of East Grand Forks, said he was shocked but knew very few details.
“The public expects Legislators to meet a high standard of conduct,” Johnson said in a statement. “As information comes out, we expect the consequences to meet the actions, both in the court of law, and in her role at the legislature.”
Mitchell worked as a meteorologist with the U.S. military and for KSTP-TV and Minnesota Public Radio before she was elected to the Senate in 2022 from a suburban St. Paul district. She still serves as lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding a weather unit, her official profile says. She worked for The Weather Channel earlier in her career, her profile says.
She got into the home through a basement window. Mitchell said he left her home about 1 a.m. Monday. The break-in was reported at 4:45 a.m.
Mitchell is a Democrat who was elected to the legislature in 2022. She represents Woodbury and Maplewood.
She’s a former radio and TV meteorologist and a commander with the Minnesota National Guard.
Comments