Mitchell

ELKINS — An Upshur County woman, who is facing felony charges in three local counties after reportedly stealing from clients of a Buckhannon cleaning service, entered into a plea agreement for the Randolph County charges on Monday.

Mikela Marie Mitchell, 41, appeared Monday morning in Randolph County Circuit Court, pleading guilty to one count of grand larceny, a felony.

Mitchell was represented by attorney Morris Davis and the plea agreement was accepted by Judge Jaymie Godwin Wilfong.

As part of the plea agreement, Mitchell will have to pay restitution to the victims as though she had been convicted on all counts of her initial indictment. Mitchell was initially indicted by a Randolph County Grand Jury on two counts of grand larceny in October.

Before Mitchell entered the plea, Randolph County Assistant Prosecutor Colin Henning informed the court of the factual basis of the case, explaining that it began after an investigation by the Philippi detachment of the West Virginia State Police.

The detachment had received several reports of stolen jewelry from homes that had all been recently cleaned by Integrity Cleaning LLC in Buckhannon, Henning said. Several houses in Randolph, Upshur and Barbour counties were identified as having had jewelry stolen, and Mitchell, who worked for the company, was identified as a suspect.

“With the help of local Randolph County West Virginia State Troopers, (the officers in Barbour) investigated those reports further and identified two victims in Randolph County,” Henning told the court on Monday.

Mitchell, according to the facts given by Henning, told officers that she had taken items from the homes she cleaned and sold them to the Gold Rush establishment in Bridgeport.

One of the victims in Randolph County estimated the total value of her stolen jewelry was $15,492, Henning said. The other Randolph County victim estimated that her stolen jewelry was worth an estimated total of $4,125.

Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced in Randolph County on March 11.

In Upshur County, Mitchell was initially indicted for two counts of embezzlement, a felony. She was also separately indicted for 10 counts of grand larceny, and two counts of petit larceny, both felonies.

According to the criminal complaint from Upshur County, on March 25, 2025, Corporal Samuel W. Shahan with the West Virginia State Police received a client list of Integrity Cleaning LLC, and multiple photos of jewelry sold to Gold Rush. Gold Rush employees obtained a copy of Mitchell’s driver’s license “when the jewelry was sold to them.”

Officers learned that “at least nine individuals residing in Upshur County from the client list has various pieces of jewelry and some U.S. currency missing after Ms. Mitchell cleaned their residence,” the complaint states.

During a videotaped interview with an Upshur County deputy, Mitchell allegedly admitted to “removing jewelry from houses she was cleaning and sold it to Gold Rush,” the complaint states. She reportedly told officers she “used the money to pay bills and buy groceries.”

The criminal complaint from the Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police states that a total of $70,284 of stolen items was taken from nine homes in Upshur County between Sept. 5 and March 14.

According to court records, on Dec. 5, Mitchell entered into a plea agreement in Upshur County Circuit Court that was accepted by Upshur County Circuit Court Judge Kurt W. Hall. Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced in Upshur County on Feb. 4, according to her attorney.

In Barbour County, Mitchell was charged with three counts of burglary and three counts of grand larceny, all felonies, according to court records. According to the Barbour County criminal complaint, about $17,988 worth of jewelry was taken from one home in Barbour, while about $1,200 in jewelry was taken from another Barbour residence.