Minnesota Lawmaker Convicted of Felony Burglary for Breaking Into Estranged Stepmother’s Home

A Minnesota state senator was convicted of burglary Friday for breaking into her estranged stepmother’s home, allegedly in search of her father’s ashes and other mementos. The jury found Nicole Mitchell, 51, guilty of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools.

The Democrat from the St. Paul suburb of Woodbury has maintained her innocence and refused to resign since her arrest in the early hours of April 22, 2024, at her stepmother’s home in the northwestern Minnesota city of Detroit Lakes. Mitchell insisted in her testimony that she went there purely to check on her stepmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, and she said she initially lied when she told police repeatedly the night of her arrest that she went there in search of her late father’s ashes and other items of sentimental value. She testified that she didn’t want to further upset her stepmother by expressing concern about her well-being.