Vallejo man who hid rifle in dishwasher gets 15 years in prison

(BCN) — A Vallejo man who hid an AR-15 style assault rifle in his dishwasher was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on Tuesday, federal prosecutors said.

Darren Mitchell, 35, was found guilty on March 28 of one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said in a statement Wednesday.

Mitchell was caught negotiating a transaction of 1,000 meth pills with a buyer who testified at trial. The conversation was captured over the phone, and agents used it to get a search warrant for his residence in Vallejo, where they seized meth-laced pills and an industrial pill-pressing machine. Two infants were also at the home.

Hidden inside Mitchell’s dishwasher was a loaded AR-15 assault-style rifle and a loaded Smith & Wesson pistol with an obliterated serial number, authorities said.

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