Greenbrier County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Crime

BECKLEY, W.Va. - Rance Allen Mitchem, 42, of Lewisburg, was sentenced today to nine years and two months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for 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.

At the time of his offense, Mitchem was on parole for first-degree robbery following his 2003 conviction in Greenbrier County Circuit Court. Mitchem robbed a Greenbrier County pharmacy of oxycodone and hydrocodone pills while armed with a sawed-off shotgun.

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 imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.

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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