Governor Walz Offers Thoughts Following Arrest of State Senator

(KNSI) — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is offering his thoughts about the arrest of a state senator.

Nicole Mitchell was charged with felony burglary after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home early Monday morning. She claimed she was after some of her late father’s belongings, including his ashes after her stepmother cut off all contact. The criminal complaint says she broke in through a window and was found in the basement dressed all in black with a sock covered flashlight and laptop that wasn’t hers.

Walz called it a “troubling situation” and “heartbreaking for the family,” but “serious questions need to be addressed.” He is looking for answers around the legal aspects, and “those answers need to be provided very quickly here,” adding that elected officials “are held to a high standard” and that someone “had her home violated.”

Mitchell has vowed not to resign. Walz didn’t say specifically if he would call for her resignation, but he said, “We’ll wait to see how all that information comes out.”

An ethics investigation failed to pass on a tie vote. Mitchell is a Democrat, and that party has a one seat majority, meaning her absence complicates things leading into the last few weeks of the session as lawmakers try and get bills passed. Majority Leader Erin Murphy says Mitchell will be allowed to vote remotely.

Mitchell took to her Facebook page to say she “learned of medical information which caused me grave concern and prompted me to check on that family member. I entered a home I have come and gone from countless times in the past 20 years, where my son even once had his own room. Unfortunately, I startled this close relative, exacerbating paranoia, and I was accused of stealing, which I absolutely deny.” In the post, she said her family is dealing with the pain of watching a loved one on the decline due to Alzheimer’s and associated paranoia.” In the 911 transcript, it said the homeowner armed herself with a small steak knife when she heard the intruder (Mitchell) and almost tripped over her trying to escape. Mitchell called it a true tragedy, hoping it can “return to being a private matter.”

She issued a statement through her attorney saying she can’t elaborate more but added she’s “extremely disappointed that the complaint lacks complete information of the incident, including important context.”

Mitchell said her stepmother has been in her life since the age of four and cares deeply about her. She also accused others of using a “tragic family situation to score political points” and believes she, like everyone else, should be allowed due process. She is “confident that a much different picture will emerge when all of the facts are known.”

Her attorney says it is “irrisponsible to make hasty conclusions.”

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