Illegal Drug User Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

A man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced March 6, 2024, to 18 months in federal prison.

Andrew Mitchell age 36, from Spirit Lake, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 25, 2023, guilty plea to a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

In a plea agreement, Mitchell admitted that on August 8, 2023, he was stopped by law enforcement for riding his bike on the wrong side of the road in Spencer, Iowa.  Once stopped, Mitchell was recognized and identified by the stopping officer.  However, Mitchell provided a false name.  Other officers arrived and attempted to handcuff Mitchell while his proper identity was determined.  Mitchell resisted being handcuffed and was placed under arrest. During a search of Mitchell, law enforcement 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.

Mitchell was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Mitchell was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, fined $100, and he must also serve a 2-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN 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.

Mitchell is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 23-4060.

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