Minnesota state senator pleads not guilty to burglarizing stepmother’s home

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota state senator has pleaded not guilty to burglarizing the home of her estranged stepmother after her father’s death. Defense and prosecution attorneys said in a joint court filing Tuesday that Sen. Nicole Mitchell was pleading not guilty, and asking the court to schedule both a settlement conference and jury trial. The Democrat from the St. Paul suburb of Woodbury was charged in April. A felony criminal complaint said she told police at the time that she broke into the home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes.