Nicole Mitchell burglary trial plows forward with opening statements, witnesses testimony 

Nicole Mitchell burglary trial plows forward with opening statements, witnesses testimony 



Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s burglary trial got into the heart of the case Tuesday with both the prosecution and defense offering their versions of her early-morning, unannounced presence in the Detroit Lakes home of her stepmother in April 2024.

But the attorneys parted ways when explaining what led up to an arrest and whether it fit the definition of burglary, as she is charged with in the felony case that could threaten her career and the political balance of the Minnesota Senate.

In his opening statements, Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald said the facts are clear.

“This case won't be about speculation. It won't be about trying to read between any lines,” he said. “This case will be about what the defendant did, what she admitted to, and what you will see and hear with your own eyes and ears.”

He told the jury of Mitchell’s all-black attire, her use of a crowbar to pry open a basement window and her possession of a flashlight covered in a sock. He recounted Mitchell’s words to Detroit Lakes police officers who responded to the 911 call of Carol Mitchell, the homeowner and the defendant’s stepmother.

McDonald let the jury know early on that they were weighing a case of a prominent person. He referred to Mitchell as "senator"  toward the top of his opening statement. That title had been a subject of pretrial dispute as Mitchell's defense team tried to keep references to her political position out of the case, fearing it could influence jurors.

Mitchell, a first-term DFL lawmaker and former broadcast meteorologist for MPR News and KSTP-TV, has denied ill-intent when she drove from her home in Woodbury to the Detroit Lakes house that night.

MITCHELL061725
Bruce Ringstrom Jr., a defense attorney for Nicole Mitchell, delivers his opening arguments during Nicole Mitchell’s trial at the Becker County District Court on Tuesday in Detroit Lakes.
Jerry Holt | Pool via The Minnesota Star Tribune

Mitchell's attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Jr., said his client was checking on Carol, who has Alzheimer's and was showing signs of decline and paranoia.  He said Nicole Mitchell entered through the basement because Carol Mitchell had taken to barricading her doors. 

It was a house that Nicole Mitchell had known well from decades of visiting her father, Rod, who died a year earlier. She had been trying unsuccessfully to gain access to some of personal items, including a flannel shirt and his ashes.

“What matters for burglary is that they got in without permission and they intended to commit a crime inside the building,” Ringstrom told jurors. “Nobody should be convicted of burglary because what they did makes you feel icky.”

The jury of 10 men and five women was seated a day earlier. Tuesday’s proceedings got off to a halting start and was stuffy inside the courthouse due to a malfunction with the air conditioning. Judge Michael Fritz pleaded with all involved for patience.

Before a mid-morning break, two law enforcement officers were the first to the stand. One was a sheriff’s deputy who answered the 911 call, which was played for the jury. It illustrated the alarm of Carol Mitchell when she heard sounds in her house and said she even stepped over the intruder in her bedroom, whom she referred to with male pronouns during the call.

The other officer was among those who responded to the scene and placed Nicole Mitchell under arrest. He spoke of discussing the family breakdown with the person in custody and her hope of gaining access to important mementos. 

Body camera footage of the officers responding to the home was played in court.

A video camera screen grab.
In a screengrab from a video, Sen. Nicole Mitchell is seen on a police officer's body camera. Mitchell stands accused of breaking and entering into her stepmother's Detroit Lakes home.
Screegrab via Pool Feed from KVLY

The trial could last the rest of the week and may possibly spill into the next week. 

The outcome of the trial has far greater impact than just Sen. Mitchell’s fate. While a conviction wouldn’t automatically cost her the legislative seat, it would be hard for her to carry on with a felony on her record.

She has resisted calls to resign and efforts to expel her have fallen short since spring of 2024. It would take a two-thirds vote to remove her if the Legislature took that vote when lawmakers reconvene in February 2024 or sooner in a potential special session.

Many fellow DFLers have defended her right to take the case to trial before siding with Republicans in trying to push her out.

The Senate is currently divided 34 to 33 with Democrats in charge. Any vacancies would be filled in a special election.

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