Democratic Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s trial for the 2024 burglary of her stepmother’s home began this week, and the details are a frightening combination of delusion and entitlement.
Mitchell was arrested by the Detroit Lakes police in April of 2024 after Carol Mitchell called for help upon discovering someone in her home.
Included in the case proceedings was body cam footage from officers who confronted Nicole Mitchell, who stood in her stepmother’s living room dressed in black.
JUST IN: Dem Senator ARRESTED - Cops SWARM After...
Bodycam footage of Sen. Nicole Mitchell's arrest was shown during her burglary trial today.
Mitchell faces charges of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools for allegedly breaking into her stepmother's Detroit Lakes home.
The prosecution claims Mitchell… pic.twitter.com/KLWtdsGZ9w
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The Democrat state senator’s stepmother, Carol Mitchell, 75, took the witness stand, saying she felt “extremely violated” when she discovered her stepdaughter in her basement.
The defense brought up the assertion that she was just there to check on her aging relative, saying that what she did shortly after being found tells the story.
“A burglar runs,” said Bruce Ringstrom Jr., one of Nicole Mitchell’s attorneys, during opening statements. “A concerned child stays.”
The events took such a toll on Carol that she moved away from the home and into a high-security building for senior citizens over the age of 55: “I didn’t dare stay there … And I’ve only now moved back into my home after putting in a security system.”
But the Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald dismissed the claim, saying, “No amount of grief or frustration can justify a home burglary.”
McDonald firmly stated that Nicole Mitchell was “caught red-handed,” and was wearing all black, which included a black stocking cap.
She also allegedly took off her shoes to be more “stealthy,” according to McDonald. He also pointed to the fact that she entered through a basement window to support his case.
But despite all that she still woke up Carol Mitchell, who stepped on Nicole lying beside the bed at 4 a.m., causing the septagenarian to call 911 and report a break-in.
In January of this year, Mitchell’s co-workers at the state capitol moved, without success, to expel her from her position in the state Senate.
The measure was introduced by Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, who argued lawmakers didn’t “need the results of a criminal trial” to determine Mitchell was no longer fit to serve her constituents.
“We shouldn’t be complicit in delaying justice for the victim of a crime by allowing Sen. Mitchell to use her membership in this body to shield herself from criminal consequences,” said Rasmusson.
