(StraightNews.org) -A Minnesota lawmaker has been arrested and charged with first-degree burglary after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s home. Senator Nicole Mitchell reportedly claimed she entered the house to seize some of her late father’s property, as well as the urn containing his ashes. The 49-year-old was booked into Becker County jail on April 22.
Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd told reporters that a neighbor made a 911 call to report an active burglary at around 4:45 a.m. Officers responded to find Mitchell inside the residence dressed in black and wearing a black hat. She was carrying a torch with a sock over it and a backpack containing laptops, Tupperware, her driver’s license, and her state identification.
The Senator told police that she wanted to retrieve her father’s ashes, some of his clothing, and items of sentimental value. As officers arrested her, the Democrat reportedly told her stepmother that she was forced to take drastic action because “you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”
Police Chief Todd said he could not release further details about the lawmaker’s alleged crime and awaited instruction from the local District Attorney.
Fellow elected officials at the Minnesota legislature expressed shock about Mitchell’s alleged actions. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson said, “The public expects Legislators to meet a high standard of conduct.” He added that pending the outcome of the investigation and legal proceedings, Ms. Mitchell’s role in the state Senate will be addressed.
Mitchell’s attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Jr., confirmed that his client was released without bond and warned not to contact her stepmother. The Senator subsequently posted a message on Facebook, apparently contradicting what she had told the officers earlier. Mitchell wrote that she entered the residence to check on a family member who she believed was ill but “startled” the relative, who became paranoid and accused her of stealing, which she said she “absolutely” denied.
According to court documents, Mitchell’s father recently died, and she is estranged from her stepmother.
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