The stepmother of DFL state Sen. Nicole Mitchell says she remains fearful more than a week after her stepdaughter’s arrest for allegedly burglarizing her home in Detroit Lakes.

“She was dressed like a burglar at the foot of my bed…I get goosebumps just talking about it,” 74-year-old Carol Mitchell told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS in a phone interview this week. Carol was married to Nicole’s father until he died in March 2023.

In explaining her actions in a statement posted on Facebook, Nicole wrote, in part, “Like so many families, mine is dealing with the pain of watching a loved one decline due to Alzheimer’s and associated paranoia. Over the weekend, I learned of medical information which caused me grave concern and prompted me to check on that family member.”

When asked about Nicole’s Facebook post, Carol acknowledged that “I was very recently diagnosed with very early stages of Alzheimer’s.”

However, she says she hasn’t spoken to Nicole about it and that she has not expressed concern.

“You don’t make a care call in the middle of the night in a bandit outfit,” Carol said regarding Nicole’s assertion she was there to check on her.

When Nicole was arrested in Carol’s basement by Detroit Lakes Police, a criminal complaint says they “located a female dressed in all black clothing and a black hat. The female, later identified as Nicole Lynn Mitchell, was ordered to the ground and placed under arrest.” The complaint also says she was wearing a black hat and had a black sock pulled over a flashlight.

When police later interviewed Nicole and asked her what brought her to this point, she said she was looking for her dad’s ashes and other items of sentimental value. However, Carol told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she sent Nicole a portion of her dad’s ashes in an “urn the shape of a bobber” because her dad was an avid fisherman.

Nicole’s attorney couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday afternoon, but last week he said the criminal complaint left out “exculpatory” facts that could change the perception of the case, including the fact that he says Nicole has key to Carol’s house. Carol told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she didn’t know Nicole had a key and she never gave her one.

In the criminal complaint, police say after they arrested her, Nicole told them, “Clearly, I’m not good at this” and “I know I did something bad.”

Carol declined an on-camera interview, but on the phone told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS about Nicole, “I think she meant me physical harm. There’s no other reason to be on the floor of my room.”

In a statement released last week, Nicole said, “I am confident that a much different picture will emerge when all of the facts are known.”

She faces a Senate Ethics Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday after Senate Republicans filed an ethics complaint and have repeatedly asked her to resign.

Mitchell’s next criminal court appearance in Becker County is scheduled for June 10.