Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree burglary, according to court records.
Mitchell was arrested in late April and accused of breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home in the middle of the night. According to a criminal complaint, officers found Mitchell in the basement of the home dressed in black clothing and wearing a black hat.
After being read her Miranda rights, Mitchell reportedly said, “I know I did something bad.” Mitchell said she was seeking several items related to her late father including pictures, a flannel shirt, and her father’s ashes, according to the complaint.
The criminal complaint indicates that Mitchell was also in possession of one of her stepmother’s laptops.
However, a court document filed this week notes that the state “may not argue that the defendant stole the laptop from the residence in question as part of any theory of burglary.”
“The defense withdraws its probable cause motion, waives omnibus issues as to disclosures to date, enters a not guilty plea, and asks that this matter be set for a settlement conference and jury trial,” says the document, which was signed by Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald and Mitchell’s attorney, Bruce Ringstrom.
Mitchell’s arrest upended the final days of the 2024 legislative session as Republicans called on the first-term senator to resign and filed an ethics complaint against her. After her arrest, Mitchell cast the deciding vote on major pieces of legislation in the Senate, which her party controls by just one seat.
Minnesota DFL Chair Ken Martin also called for Mitchell’s resignation after session ended.
The Upper Midwest Law Center has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Alpha News that seeks to compel the release of body-camera video from Mitchell’s arrest.
“Using her preeminent position, [Mitchell] has made numerous public statements which appear to contradict the government’s charging documents,” UMLC attorney Allie Howell said in a recent article. “Without clarity about who is lying and who is telling the truth, Minnesotans are unable to hold one of their elected officials accountable. And, importantly, the Minnesota Senate has been unable to move forward on an ethics complaint filed against Sen. Mitchell.”
A court hearing that was scheduled for Friday morning has been canceled.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
