Minnesota state senator arrested on first-degree burglary charges looking for her father’s ashes

A Minnesota state senator was charged with first-degree burglary, possibly putting the Democrats’ narrow majority in limbo.

Democratic state Sen. Nicole Mitchell was charged with first-degree burglary after a home was broken into in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. According to the complaint, Mitchell robbed her stepmother's home .

"I was just trying to get a couple of my dad's things because you wouldn't talk to me anymore," Mitchell allegedly said to her stepmother during her arrest. Investigators said Mitchell said her father had recently died and that the stepmother would not talk to Mitchell or other family members.

Police responded to the call at 4:45 a.m. Monday after a homeowner called the police to respond to a burglary in progress. The suspect, later identified as Mitchell, ran into the basement when law enforcement arrived. She was dressed in all black with a black backpack containing two laptops, a cellphone, and other items that identified Mitchell.

"Mitchell was looking to take pictures, a flannel shirt, ashes, and other items of sentimental value” from the home, according to the report.

"Clearly I'm not good at this," she said, according to investigators. "I know I did something bad."

A timeline for Mitchel to return to work in St. Paul is not clear. Senate Democrats in Minnesota hold just a one-seat majority. Her absence could make it difficult for Democrats to pass legislation that is not bipartisan.

Since Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) took office in 2019, he has worked with both chambers of the Minnesota government to pass sweeping Democratic legislation statewide, including legalizing recreational marijuana, the largest investment into public education in state history, and enshrining abortion as a right in Minnesota.

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The Senate Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus is "aware of the situation" but declined to comment. One of Mitchell’s colleagues at the Minnesota State Capitol said he was “shocked” by the news.

"The public expects legislators to meet a high standard of conduct," said Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, a Republican. "As information comes out, we expect the consequences to meet the actions, both in the court of law and in her role at the legislature."