DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — Fear and paranoia were common themes in testimony Wednesday as the burglary trial for a Minnesota state senator continued.
On the third day of the trial of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, accused of burglarizing her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes house, prosecutor Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald each called witnesses.
Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury.
Mitchell, a DFL lawmaker from Woodbury, was charged with two felony burglary counts after she was arrested in her stepmother’s house in the early hours of April 22, 2024. She was charged with first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools.
If found guilty, Mitchell could face prison time. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. McDonald argues that Nicole Mitchell entered Carol Mitchell’s house with the intent to steal. Nicole Mitchell’s defense counters that she entered the house to check on her stepmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease.
Witnesses testify on arrest
The first witness called to testify Wednesday was Jim Hedlund, a friend of Carol Mitchell’s late husband, Rod Mitchell. Hedlund said Carol Mitchell called him early the morning of the break-in.
“She was pretty shook up,” Hedlund said.
Hedlund testified that he found the blue crowbar in the egress window well on the back of Carol Mitchell’s house.
Carol Mitchell’s niece, Pam Muxfeldt, also testified in the morning. Carol Mitchell appointed Muxfeldt to serve as her power of attorney in the months after Rod Mitchell died.
Muxfeldt said Carol had expressed concern about Nicole Mitchell before the break in and that Nicole Mitchell made Carol feel uncomfortable, threatened and scared.
McDonald showed a screenshot of a text message that Carol Mitchell had sent to Muxfeldt. The message was about Rod Mitchell’s estate and who his assets would go to. In the message, Carol Mitchell expressed concern about what Nicole Mitchell was hoping to get from the estate.
“She is so greedy,” Carol Mitchell said of Nicole Mitchell in the text message.
Carol Mitchell’s fear of Nicole Mitchell also came up as Detroit Lake Police Department Investigator Doug Vickmark testified. A few days after the break in, he spoke with Carol Mitchell at the police department. The area by Carol Mitchell’s bed, where she discovered Nicole Mitchell on April 22, is where Rod Mitchell’s gun was kept, Vickmark said.
“She was very concerned that Nicole’s purpose wasn’t necessarily to get items,” Vickmark said. “She was concerned Nicole might be there to end Carol’s life.”
Patient records, defense calls witnesses
Nicole Mitchell’s attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Jr., asked Vickmark and other law enforcement who testified Wednesday if they noticed any items piled near the window, such as mementos, that appeared to be staged to be taken. None could recall items of the sort.
Detroit Lakes Police Department Sgt. Chad Glander said he determined a laptop found in the backpack was in Nicole Mitchell’s possession before the break-in. When Nicole Mitchell was arrested, the laptop displayed Carol Mitchell’s name when opened.
A forensic examination of that laptop showed activity on Sanford Health’s “MyChart” patient records website in April 2024. A search warrant executed on Carol Mitchell’s MyChart account showed access to patient records on April 20, 2024, days before Nicole Mitchell was arrested.
The first witness called by Nicole Mitchell’s defense was Jonathan Kuehl, Carol Mitchell’s biological son who she gave up for adoption. Kuehl and Carol Mitchell were reunited when Kuehl was an adult.
Kuehl was asked about a conversation he had with Nicole Mitchell at her father’s funeral, as well as text exchanges between Kuehl and Nicole Mitchell about Carol Mitchell’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Kuehl did not remember either conversation.
Ringstrom showed screenshots of the text conversation between Kuehl and Nicole Mitchell, where Nicole Mitchell expressed concern for Carol Mitchell.
Kuehl also could not recall the specifics of a phone interview with Glander after Nicole Mitchell’s arrest, and whether he was asked about a disagreement regarding items like a flannel shirt belonging to Rod Mitchell or ashes. The shirt and ashes were mentioned by Nicole Mitchell as she was arrested. Glander, called back to the witness stand, confirmed Kuehl was asked about a disagreement during that interview, but confirmed Kuehl said there was not a disagreement.
Concerns about Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Nicole Mitchell’s aunt, Nancy Lund, grew emotional at times as she testified about the Mitchell family’s growing concerns about Carol Mitchell’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Once close family members, interactions between Lund and Carol Mitchell became increasingly tense in the months following her brother Rod Mitchell’s death, Lund explained.
After Rod Mitchell’s death, Lund stepped in to help Carol Mitchell with her finances. Over time, Carol Mitchell started sending more confused messages about misplacing documents. Confusion eventually turned to paranoia, she said. Lund would receive a message accusing her of stealing documents in which Rod Mitchell outlined his wishes upon his death.
A tearful Lund read text messages from Carol Mitchell suggesting neither Lund nor Nicole Mitchell loved Rod Mitchell enough to honor his wishes.
“I still knew it was the disease talking, but it hurt so bad that she would say that about me not loving my brother that I never texted her again,” Lund said.
Lund said Nicole Mitchell and Carol Mitchell’s relationship was sometimes rocky, but consistent with any mother-daughter relationship. She described Nicole Mitchell as a “caretaker at heart,” hard working, trustworthy and not driven by money.
Mitchell’s attorney says she wants to testify
Meanwhile, Ringstrom did not confirm to reporters whether Mitchell will testify, but confirmed that she does want to testify.
Nicole Mitchell was charged during the 2024 Minnesota legislative session. Charges against her were a point of contention in a divided Senate during the last two legislative sessions. DFL leaders barred her from participating in committee assignments or party caucus meetings. Senate Republicans called for her resignation and unsuccessfully tried to oust her from the chamber.
The felony burglary charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of six months in jail or a county workhouse, and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine. Felony possession of burglary tools carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
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