Minnesota senator on trial claims she broke in to get late father’s items

The police bodycam footage showing a Minnesota state senator being arrested on suspicion of breaking into her stepmother’s home was shown at her trial on Wednesday. 

Sen. Nicole Mitchell has pleaded not guilty to felony first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools for the alleged break-in at around 4:45 a.m. on April 22, 2024. 

Mitchell, a member of the state Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party who was elected in 2022, said she went to the Detroit Lakes home belonging to her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, who she said has Alzheimer’s, to retrieve some of her late father’s items. 

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On Wednesday, prosecutors rested their case after showing police bodycam footage of officer responding to the home. 

“She’s my stepdaughter,” Mitchell tells a responding officer. “She’s also a Minnesota senator.”

“She’s a senator?” the officer is heard asking.

“Yes, well was,” Mitchell responds to the officer before he asks whether she currently serves in office. 

“Well, she is. I meant after this…” Mitchell said, referring to the arrest. 

The footage shows Mitchell inside a police cruiser in handcuffs being questioned. She told an officer that she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things” and added “clearly, I’m not good at this.” 

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The criminal complaint states that Mitchell explained to police that her father had just died, and she wanted sentimental items her stepmother refused to give to her, Fox Minneapolis reported.

Mitchell said those include her father’s ashes, pictures, clothes and other sentimental items. Police found Mitchell in the home’s basement dressed in all black. 

Officers say they also found a flashlight covered with a black sock on Mitchell. Officers searched for a black backpack that was stuck in a window and found two laptops, a cellphone, a driver’s license, Senate identification and Tupperware products, according to the complaint.

In the footage, Mitchell is seen lying on her stomach inside the home and being placed in handcuffs. 

“I was just trying to get some of my dad’s things because she wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” she said.

During the trial, prosecutors said Nicole Mitchell parked down the road from the home in a well-planned act. Defense attorneys have said that Mitchell was a concerned stepdaughter trying to help a loved one.

During her testimony, Carol Mitchell said she felt “extremely violated” following the alleged burglary.