MINNEAPOLIS –
A Minnesota state senator and former meteorologist told police she broke into her stepmother’s home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to theft charges filed Tuesday. .
Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, of Woodbury, was arrested early Monday at her home in the northwestern Minnesota city of Detroit Lakes. The arresting officer wrote in the complaint that he heard Mitchell tell her stepmother “something like, ‘I was just trying to get a couple things from my dad because you weren’t talking to me anymore.'”
The complaint charges Mitchell with one count of first-degree robbery, a felony. Becker County Judge Gretchen Thilmony allowed Mitchell to be released on the condition that he not contact his stepmother.
Although Senate Republicans have called for Mitchell’s resignation, she is expected to return to her duties. Her issue 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.
Mitchell’s attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Sr., said in an interview that the dispute arose from a “fractured relationship” between the senator and her stepmother that has been exacerbated by age-related issues.
“She’s not exactly Cinderella’s evil stepmother,” Ringstrom said.
Ringstrom said he is sure there will be “internal discussions” among Senate Democrats about his future, but that he is entitled to a presumption of innocence. He said he told him to suppress her instincts “as a journalist, meteorologist and politician,” and that she agreed to “bite her tongue and say nothing.”
But in a subsequent Facebook post, Mitchell denied stealing. However, she did not explain why she entered the house without permission in the middle of the night.
“Like so many families, mine is dealing with the pain of watching a loved one decline due to Alzheimer’s and the associated paranoia. …This has been a true tragedy for our family and I hope it can once again be a private matter,” Mitchell wrote.
The senator wore an orange jumpsuit and appeared tense, but said little during her brief court appearance. She did not plead guilty.
Mitchell’s father, Rod Mitchell, died in March 2023 at the age of 72, according to his obituary. He had been married to Mitchell’s stepmother for 40 years, he said.
“I know I did something wrong,” Mitchell said, quoted in the criminal complaint.
Mitchell was dressed all in black and was wearing a black hat when she was arrested, according to the complaint. The officer said he discovered a flashlight near her that was covered with a black sock, apparently modified to control the amount of light emanating from it.
Mitchell told the officer she was looking for photographs, a flannel shirt, ashes and other items, but that her stepmother had cut off all contact with her, according to the complaint.
The lawmaker acknowledged entering through a basement window that had been kept open with a black backpack, according to the complaint. Officers found his Senate ID inside. He claimed that his stepmother had given him a laptop that he found in her backpack “a long time ago,” but the stepmother disputed this. The senator, a law graduate, also indicated that she was caught shortly after entering.
“I’m clearly not good at this,” she said.
The stepmother said in an interview that she is afraid of her stepdaughter. She also said that although most of her husband’s ashes were buried, she sent Mitchell a miniature container with some of them. Ringstrom, however, said that account “is not totally accurate.”
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy of St. Paul called the allegations “disturbing” but indicated that Mitchell will be allowed to return to duty.
“We believe in due process and Senator Mitchell is entitled to a full defense of her case in court,” Murphy said in a statement.
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks said in a statement that he should resign. The complaint describes allegations of disruptive conduct unbecoming of a lawmaker, including extensive preparations to rob a relative’s home, he said.
Mitchell was a meteorologist with the U.S. Army, KSTP-TV, Minnesota Public Radio and The Weather Channel before being elected in 2022 from a suburban St. Paul district.
Mitchell’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 10.