Andrew Mitchell, Illegal Firearm Possession, Iowa 2024
A 36-year-old man from Spirit Lake, Iowa, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm.
Andrew Mitchell, 36, was sentenced on March 6, 2024, after a guilty plea to a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
The charges stem from an incident on August 8, 2023, when Mitchell was stopped by law enforcement in Spencer, Iowa, for riding his bike on the wrong side of the road.
During a search of Mitchell's person, officers located a suspected THC vape pen, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a scale with methamphetamine residue, and a loaded 9mm firearm with an obliterated serial number strapped to his chest.
Mitchell admitted to being a user of controlled substances, which prohibited him from possessing firearms.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Greenwood and Jack Lammers and investigated by the Spencer, Iowa Police Department, Clay County Sheriff's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mitchell is being held in the United States Marshal's custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, fined $100, and must serve a 2-year term of supervised release after the prison term.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities.
This is not the first time the Department has launched a violent crime reduction strategy based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case file number is 23-4060, and can be found on the Iowa Northern District Court's website at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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