Minnesota senator wanted late father’s ashes when she broke into stepmother’s house, charges say

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota state senator and former meteorologist told police she broke into her stepmother’s home because she refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to indictments. robbery filed on Tuesday.

Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, of Woodbury, was arrested in the early hours of Monday at his home in the northwestern Minnesota city of Detroit Lakes. The arresting officer wrote in the complaint that he heard Mitchell say to his stepmother “something to the effect of, ‘I was just trying to get some things from my dad because you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.'”

Mitchell was dressed all in black and wearing a black hat, the complaint said. The officer said he discovered near her a flashlight covered with a black sock, apparently modified to control the amount of light it emanated.

The complaint, filed in Becker County District Court in Detroit Lakes, charges Mitchell with one count of first-degree robbery, a felony. She remained jailed ahead of her first court appearance on Tuesday. Court records do not list an attorney who could comment on her behalf, but they do show she requested a public defender. She did not return a call left on the prison voicemail system for inmates.

“I know I did something bad,” Mitchell said in the complaint, after she was informed of her right to remain silent.

Mitchell’s father, Rod Mitchell, died last month, according to an obituary published by a Detroit Lakes funeral home. He had been married to Mitchell’s stepmother for 40 years, it said.

Nicole Mitchell told the officer she was after photos, a flannel shirt, ashes and other items, but that her stepmother had ceased all contact with her and that they were not speaking, the complaint said. But it was the ashes that got her “to this stage,” she said.

The senator acknowledged that she entered the home through a basement window that was open with a black backpack, the complaint said. Officers found his Minnesota Senate ID card inside, along with his driver’s license, two laptops, a cellphone and Tupperware containers, the complaint said. She indicated that she was caught shortly after entering.

“Obviously I’m not good at this,” she reportedly said.

The stepmother said in an interview that she is afraid of her stepdaughter and asked for a precautionary measure against her. She also said that although most of her husband’s ashes were buried, she sent Mitchell a miniature container with some of them.

Mitchell was arrested while the Senate was on Easter vacation. His arrest comes at a difficult time for Senate Democrats, who hold a one-seat majority with just under four weeks left in the legislative session. His absence would make it difficult to pass any legislation that lacks bipartisan support.

Mitchell’s arrest caught Senate leaders by surprise. The Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement Monday that it is “aware of the situation and has no comment pending further information.”

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks said he was shocked but knew few details.

“The public expects lawmakers to meet a high standard of conduct,” Johnson said in a statement. “As information is released, we expect consequences to follow suit, both in court and in his role in the legislature.”

Mitchell worked as a meteorologist in the U.S. Army and at KSTP-TV and Minnesota Public Radio before being elected to the Senate in 2022 from a suburban St. Louis district. She still serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding a weather unit. , says its official profile. She worked for The Weather Channel early in her career, her profile says.