Detroit Lakes, Minnesota — A Minnesota state senator has pleaded not guilty to charges that he broke into the home of his estranged stepmother after his father died.
Nicole Mitchell, a Democratic lawmaker from Woodbury, a suburb of St. Paul, was charged in April with breaking into a home in Detroit Lakes, northwestern Minnesota, after her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value, including her late father’s ashes, according to a felony complaint.
In joint court filings Tuesday, defense and prosecution attorneys said Mitchell maintains his not guilty plea and asks the court to set a date for a settlement conference and jury trial.
The parties also agreed that prosecutors could not claim that Mitchell stole the laptop computer that police seized when she was arrested. Ownership of the laptop was in dispute. However, the agreement allows prosecutors to use the laptop as evidence if the case goes to trial.
Mitchell’s arrest rocked the 2024 legislative session, which ended acrimoniously, and ethics proceedings against her are on hold pending the outcome of her criminal case. She has denied the theft charges and has defied Republican calls to resign. Her position presented a dilemma for her fellow Democrats. With a one-seat majority in the Senate, they needed her vote to pass anything without bipartisan support. They removed her from caucus meetings and committees, but did not publicly call for her resignation.
Mitchell was wearing all black clothing and a black hat when she was arrested, and the complaint quotes her as saying, “I know I did something bad.”
Her lawyer said the conflict with her stepmother stemmed from a “fractious relationship” made worse by age-related issues.
According to Mitchell’s obituary, Mitchell’s father died in March 2023 at the age of 72. He had been married to Mitchell’s stepmother for 40 years.
