Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell was found guilty of breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home back in April 2024. While she claimed in the stand that she was carrying out a “welfare check,” the jury ended up deciding to convict her on burglary charges.
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According to the Minnesota Reformer, the incident occurred on April 22, 2024. Dressed in black and equipped with a sock-covered flashlight, flashlight gloves, and a prybar, Mitchell managed to break into her stepmother’s house.
While in the stand, Mitchell argued that, following her father’s death, her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, grew in hostility, caused by her Alzheimer’s.
Therefore, she stated that she wanted to conduct a welfare check. She explained that she dressed in black to prevent neighbors from recognizing her. They, according to Nicole, would alert Carol, causing her to be paranoid about Nicole’s intentions.
Once inside the home, Nicole opened her stepmother’s bedroom door. Carol Mitchell then jumped out of bed and said, “What the hell are you doing here?”
The Democratic senator would then flee to the basement, where she was later arrested by police.
Contradictory Statements
Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald rebutted Carol’s narrative and played body camera footage recorded by responding police officers. Carol Mitchell is shown saying, “I know I did something bad,” while in police custody, according to MPR News.
Additionally, she told police multiple times that she had gone to the house to take some of her late father’s belongings. However, while in the store, she claimed she wasn’t at her stepmother’s house to steal anything.
While on direct examination, Nicole’s attorney, Dane DeKrey, asked about her inconsistencies.
“You just admitted to lying on video,” DeKrey asked Nicole. “And so the obvious question is, if you lied to the police four times on the night of this incident, how is the jury supposed to believe that you are not lying now?”
Nicole Mitchell answered, “Sometimes to protect family members, you have to lie.”
A Becker County jury, comprised of nine men and three women, deliberated for three hours. On July 18, they found Senator Nicole Mitchell guilty of felony first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools.
A sentencing hearing date has not been specified. Mitchell faces a mandatory minimum of 180 days in jail, as per CBS News. The Minnesota Reformer reported that she could face up to 20 years for the burglary charge and up to 3 years for the possession of burglary tools charge.