Powder River County's newest deputy, Levi Mitchell, stands above at center, flanked by Sheriff Devin Boman at right, and Undersheriff Ayche Draine at left. (Photo courtesy PR County Sheriff's Office)
Longtime local resident Levi Mitchell recently donned the badge as a Powder River County Sheriff's Deputy.
We sat down with Mitchell to discuss the life and times of the county's newest deputy.
Levi graduated from PRCDHS in 2000, as the oldest son of Floyd Mitchell and Barb Mitchell. Levi went on to work as a lookout and firefighter for the BLM at Fort Howes and Bridger.
He later moved to Oregon, where he met and married his wife, Chrystal, in 2006. While in Oregon, Levi worked at a variety of positions as varied as working in the sugar beet industry to a position in semi-conductor processing, as well as working in metal fabrication shops.
In 2009 the couple moved to Broadus, and Mitchell began work at the school. Levi carried the position of Head Maintenance Supervisor, as well as working as the head of IT at the school in the ensuing years, before taking the position as deputy earlier in March.
Levi and Chrystal have three kids: Riley, age 16, Colton, age 8, and Gaige, age 3.
Mitchell told us that he was first approached for a deputy position years ago, when John Blain was Sheriff. Levi decided to stay at the school, but the seed was planted for a potential change in work.
When Sheriff Boman spoke to Levi about the job earlier this year, Levi mulled it over, talked with his wife, and decided to make the switch to the law enforcement world.
"I've always wanted to serve the community. This is just a change in setting," Mitchell said.
Mitchell also spoke of the assets of having a local as a deputy, for example knowing the colloquial terms for local areas that might not show up on a map – if you grew up in Broadus you probably know where the "Turtle Pond" is located, for example.
In his off-time, Levi enjoys boating, camping, and spending time with the family, and he looks forward to those opportunities to continue as he settles into his role. In the meantime, Mitchell has been undergoing a great deal of training, learning from the other deputies on staff and during ride-alongs, and conducting various forms of required training before he attends the Montana Law Enforcement Academy, which he is likely to attend either this fall or next winter, depending on class availability.
Levi joins the force with Sheriff Boman, Undersheriff Ayche Draine, Deputy Ishmael Perin, and Deputy Cody Stuchlik.
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