BECKLEY, W.Va. – Rance Allen Mitchem, 41, of Lewisburg, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 27, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Lewisburg apartment where Mitchem was staying. Officers seized approximately 38 grams of methamphetamine, scales, packaging materials, and a Taurus model G2S .40-caliber handgun. Mitchem admitted to possessing the seized methamphetamine and an additional 93.1 grams of methamphetamine that officers found when Mitchem told them it was in his parked vehicle.
Mitchem further admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and use some of it himself. Mitchem also told officers that he had distributed quantities of methamphetamine at least once a week for approximately five months.
Mitchem is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Greenbrier Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
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A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-161.
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