The Minnesota state senator who was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary said the incident unfolded at the home of a relative with dementia as she was trying to sneak in to retrieve her father’s ashes.
Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, was arrested early Monday morning after being found inside a home in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, about 200 miles northwest of Minneapolis and the suburban district Mitchell represents.
In a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, Mitchell said she was visiting a family member with Alzheimer’s after learning medical information that prompted her to check on the person. Mitchell added that her family is “dealing with the pain of watching a loved one decline.”
“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,” Mitchell wrote.
“Unfortunately, I startled this close relative, exacerbating paranoia, and I was accused of stealing, which I absolutely deny.”
Mitchell calls incident a ‘private matter’
The Democratic elected official thanked her friends and colleagues of both parties for supportive words and for “trusting my character 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.”
Mitchell was booked at Becker County Jail on Monday and the attorney’s office charged her with first-degree burglary, Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd told USA TODAY.
Mitchell says she was picking up father’s ashes
Mitchell told officers who found her in the home that she was picking up her father’s ashes as well as pictures, a flannel shirt and other sentimental items, according to the criminal complaint.
She was reportedly wearing all black clothing and a black hat.
“I was just trying to get a couple of my dad’s things because you wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” Mitchell told the victim, according to the complaint.
The complaint says Mitchell told officers she had “just gotten into the house” and said “clearly I’m not good at this.” She said she left her Woodbury home at around 1 a.m. to drive to Detroit Lakes and entered the family member’s home through the window.
She added that she had gotten into an argument with the relative and that they had stopped speaking.
County property tax records show that in 2022, Mitchell’s stepmother and her father lived on the block where the suspected burglary occurred, the Star Tribune reported.
Mitchell faces calls to resign from opponents
Mitchell, who has been serving her first term since elected in 2022, is facing calls to resign from opponents.
Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson called for Mitchell to resign immediately because the complaint detailed how she took extensive preparation to burglarize a family member’s home.
“I understand the difficult situation her family is facing however the actions taken by Sen. Mitchell are disturbing,” Johnson said in a statement. “This behavior is unbecoming of a member of the Legislature and she needs to resign from the Senate immediately.”
Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus Chair Bryan Strawser said in a news release that if Mitchell does not resign then the state Senate must expel her from the body. In the same news release, Senior Vice President Rob Doar said the charges raise serious concerns about her ability to evaluate public safety issues.
