Former mayor of Sesser faces multiple felony drug and weapons charges
The former mayor of Sesser has been charged with multiple felony counts in Franklin County Court, including drug and weapon charges.
Ned Mitchell, who served as mayor from 1979 to 2013, was arrested in January after a police search of his home.
On Wednesday, the Southern Illinoisan reported that the Franklin County State’s Attorney’s Office charged him with felony possession of a controlled substance, felony manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance near a school, public housing or public park, permitting unlawful use of a building and two counts of armed violence, which is assessed when a person commits a felony while possessing a weapon.
A special prosecutor has been assigned to the case, due to Mitchell’s long career as a public official in the county, the Post-Dispatch report said.
The 70-year-old’s home was searched on Jan. 15 after police executed a search warrant on his home in Sesser, according to the report. There, police found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Mitchell was arrested along with Elaina Kays, 42, also of Sesser. She faces the same manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance near a school, park or public housing charge and armed violence charge, along with a charge of possession of a controlled substance.
This story was originally published February 19, 2019 at 8:21 PM.
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