MN State Senator After Burglary Arrest: 'I'm Not Good At This': Docs

DETROIT LAKES, MN — A Minnesota state senator from Woodbury was charged Monday with first-degree burglary in Detroit Lakes, according to court records.

If convicted, Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, a first-term Democrat, faces "not less than 180 days in jail or county workhouse and up to 20 years imprisonment, a $35,000 fine, or both," a charging document states.

Mitchell was arrested Monday morning after she broke into her stepmother's house, according to police. She said she was taking back things from her stepmother, including her late father's ashes, according to the criminal complaint.

Around 4:45 a.m. Monday, Detroit Lakes police officers responded to a report of a home burglary.

Police searched the basement and quickly found a woman dressed in all-black clothing and a black hat.

Authorities identified the woman as Mitchell. She was ordered to the ground and placed under arrest.

While being detained, Mitchell told the homeowner: "I was just trying to get a couple of my dad's things because you wouldn't talk to me anymore," according to the criminal complaint.

Police found a flashlight near Mitchell with a black sock covering it to control the amount of light emitting from the flashlight, authorities said.

Officers also searched a backpack and discovered two laptops, a cell phone, Mitchell's Minnesota driver's license, a Senate identification card, "and miscellaneous Tupperware," according to the criminal complaint.

Mitchell said she had "just gotten into the house" and commented, "Clearly I'm not good at this," according to police.

"I know I did something bad," she later added, the criminal complaint states.

Mitchell said her father recently died and her stepmother ceased all contact with her and other family members, according to authorities.

Mitchell also said she wanted various items of her late father's and that the stepmother refused to give them to her, the criminal complaint states.

The items Mitchell wanted included pictures, a flannel shirt, and the ashes, according to police.

Mitchell admitted to driving her vehicle up from the Twin Cities and noted that she left Woodbury around 1 a.m., according to the criminal complaint. She admitted she got into the house through a window, authorities said.

At the jail, police asked what got Mitchell "to this stage" and she said it was her father's ashes, according to the criminal complaint.

Mitchell stated that she previously got into an argument with her stepmother and they stopped speaking, police said.