David "Mitch" Mitchell (1958-) is an American police officer and current Sheriff of the Ligget County Sheriff's Department, based out of Hope, Washington. Mitch was one of many officers who participated in the 1981 Hope manhunt, though he was one of the few who did not antagonize Vietnam War veteran John Rambo during the lead-up to the manhunt.
Biography[]
Early life[]
David Mitchell was born in 1958 in Hope, Washington, his father having fought in the Korean War. Mitch was in school during the Vietnam War, before joining the Ligget County Sheriff's Department as a junior deputy in 1978 before becoming a full deputy in 1980.
Rambo[]
Booking and cleanup[]
In 1981, after Sheriff Will Teasle falsely arrested Vietnam War veteran John Rambo, Deputy Sergeant Art Galt ordered Mitch to escort him to his cell in the basement of the police station. After Rambo refused to give his name to Galt, Mitch attempted to take his dog tags only to have his hand aggressively grabbed by Rambo; this prompted Galt to threaten to break Rambo's face in with a baton, who then let Mitch grab his tags. He gave the tags to Galt.
Mitch was horrified at the amount of scars on Rambo's body as he undressed for clean-up, though Galt cared little about it. As Deputy Don Preston hosed Rambo down with a high-pressure hose, Mitch was disgusted with the cruelty and walked away. Later, when Deputy Chris Ward attempted to shave Rambo, Rambo suffered a severe PTSD flashback and attacked the officers, Mitch being knocked out by a punch.
Manhunt[]
Mitch and Deputy Lester Wallace later drove into the woods to meet with Teasle, who told them that he was beyond the hollow; he ordered Mitch to call Orval Kellerman and tell him to bring his hunting dogs with him. He participated in the manhunt with the other officers, telling Deputy Michael Balford that Rambo went through Mitch, Galt and Ward like "[they] weren't even there."
He later saw Galt's dead body in Chapman Gorge, having been accidentally killed by Rambo. Mitch then fired on Rambo with the other officers, though ceased fire after being ordered to do so. After Teasle was informed by Wallace that Rambo was a former Green Beret and Medal of Honor recipient, Mitch excitedly said he knew there was something strange about him. He realized that they were going against someone beyond their capabilities, though Ward told him to shut up immediately afterward. When Mitch told Teasle to let the Washington State Troopers handle the manhunt, Teasle dragged Ward to Galt's dead body and told him that he would kill Rambo with or without Mitch.
As they followed Rambo into the deeper woods, Mitch told Teasle that they should get out before it gets dark, only to be told by Ward that he's a pansy. The two briefly tussled before Teasle pulled them apart and reminded them that Rambo was the enemy, not eachother. After Rambo ambushed the group and shot Kellerman in the leg, Mitch was ordered to use his belt to tourniquet his leg to stop the bleeding. When Balford said, "Let's do some hunting," Mitch responded that he was the hunter, not them. Mitch was the first to go down, being stabbed through the right thigh by Rambo as an act of mercy due to his reluctance earlier. He was taken to the hospital and treated for his wound. A few days later, Rambo would surrender to the Washington authorities.
Later life[]
Mitch eventually became Sheriff in 2008 after Teasle retired, never experiencing any conundrum quite like what Rambo did in 1981.