Update by Austin Erickson (12:40 PM)
Nicole Mitchell is testifying in her burglary trial in Detroit Lakes.
She’s accused of breaking into her stepmother’s home last year.
The State Senator discussed the difficulties of seeing what she calls Carol Mitchell’s decline because of Alzheimer’s. Nicole talked about speaking with a friend going through something similar with his adult daughter’s cystic fibrosis.
“We had a lot of conversations about what is that line? How do you respect them and not let them hurt themselves? How do you navigate all of that?” Mitchell asked.
Mitchell also described what she calls Carol’s confusion and anger partially from her stepmother’s Alzheimer’s.
“There had been so much stuff over the past year. I didn’t want to upset her because she would get agitated and I felt like I was just shutting down my emotions,” Mitchell explained.
The jury saw texts showing Carol saying she wanted Nicole’s father’s ashes interred on a date that only worked for a funeral home.
Nicole said she and her children couldn’t be there. Mitchell then wrote she called the business who said Carol picked that date. The messages were sent one month before Nicole is accused of breaking into Carol’s home.
Nicole’s attorney asked the state senator why she didn’t call Becker County for help with caring for her stepmother.
“I don’t usually do that for stuff for myself. I feel weird about using my position for personal things. Even when I’m doing it for constituents, the last time I called my county, I was bounced around for over an hour,” Mitchell explained.
The prosecution has yet to ask Mitchell questions.
Detroit Lakes, Minn. – Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell is taking the witness stand at her burglary trial in Becker County.
The DFL member is accused of breaking in to her stepmother’s home last year in Detroit Lakes.
The state rested their case on Wednesday, and the defense has been calling witnesses to the stand, including relatives.
Yesterday, Mitchell’s aunt testified that the lawmaker is a “caretaker at heart” who loves her stepmother.
Prosecutors argue Mitchell was in the home with the intent to steal, while Mitchell claims she was only there to retrieve items that belonged to her late father.
Watch Mitchell’s testimony here care of our news partners at Valley News Live.
