State Senator Releases Statement After Being Charged With Breaking Into Stepmother’s Detroit Lakes House

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (KVRR) — State Senator Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury, Minnesota has been charged with burglary for breaking into her stepmother’s house in Detroit Lakes and made her first appearance.

She was released without bail on terms of having no contact with her stepmother and obeying a restraining order.

Mitchell told police she was trying to retrieve some of her late father’s belongings, including his ashes.

She told officers that her stepmother had broken off contact with the family.

Mitchell was dressed in all black as she entered the house through a basement window that had been propped open with a black backpack.

Officers found her Minnesota Senate ID inside it.

As Mitchell was told of her right to remain silent, officers say she said “I know I did something bad.”

Mitchell is a Democrat who was elected to the legislature in 2022.

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 session.

Her father, Rod Mitchell, died last month and had been married to Mitchell’s stepmother for 40 years.

The stepmother said in an interview that she’s afraid of her stepdaughter and applied for a restraining order against her.

Nicole Mitchell released this statement on Facebook:

Regarding the recent news:

Like so many families, mine is dealing with the pain of watching a loved one decline due to Alzheimer’s and associated paranoia.

Over the weekend, I learned of medical information which caused me grave concern and prompted me to check on that family member. I entered a home I have come and gone from countless times in the past 20 years, where my son even once had his own room. Unfortunately, I startled this close relative, exacerbating paranoia, and I was accused of stealing, which I absolutely deny.

Thank you to all my friends (and colleagues of both parties) for the kind words of support and for trusting my character even before I had a chance to respond. This has been a true tragedy for our family and my hope is it can return to being a private matter.

**ORIGINAL POST BELOW**

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (KVRR-KFGO) – Burglary charges have been filed against a Minnesota state senator from Woodbury who’s accused of breaking into her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes.

Forty-nine-year-old Nicole Mitchell 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. She got into the home through a basement window. Mitchell said she left her home about 1:00 a.m. Monday.

Mitchell is a Democrat who was elected to the legislature in 2022. She represents Woodbury and Maplewood.

She is a former TV meteorologist and commander in the Minnesota National Guard.