A Minnesota lawmaker is facing serious legal troubles after being arrested and charged with burglary for allegedly breaking into a relative’s home over an alleged dispute over the belongings of her late father.
State Sen. Nicole Mitchell, a Democrat elected in 2022, was taken into custody early Monday morning in Detroit Lakes, nearly 200 miles from her district in Woodbury. According to a criminal complaint, police responded to a report of a burglary around 4:45 am and found Mitchell inside the residence owned by her stepmother.
The 49-year-old legislator allegedly told officers she had entered through an open basement window in an attempt to retrieve items like photos, clothing, and her father’s ashes from the home, claiming her stepmother had cut off contact. “I was just trying to get a couple of my dad’s things because you wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” Mitchell is quoted telling the woman.
The first-term senator, who previously worked as a TV meteorologist and Air National Guard commander, now faces one felony count of first-degree burglary. She made her initial court appearance on Tuesday wearing an orange jumpsuit.
“I know I did something bad,” Mitchell admitted to the arresting officer, according to the complaint. It also states she attempted to mask her illegal entry by covering a flashlight with a sock.
While her attorney Bruce Ringstrom acknowledged a “fractured relationship” between Nicole Mitchell and her stepmother exacerbated by age-related issues, Senate Republicans swiftly called for her resignation over the “disturbing” allegations.
However, Senate Democrats have indicated Mitchell will be allowed to keep her seat for now, citing due process rights. With just a one-seat majority and weeks left in the legislative session, her legal troubles create an awkward situation.
Nicole Mitchell also took to Facebook denying theft but provided no further context, framing it as her family’s “pain of watching a loved one decline due to Alzheimer’s and associated paranoia.”
She awaits her next court date in June.
