, ,

Columbus Police Officer Kidnapped Women Under 'Guise' of Arrest, Forced Sexual Favors in Exchange for Their Release: Report

55-year-old Andrew Mitchell, a 30-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department in Ohio, was arrested by federal authorities on Monday. According to the Department of Justice, Mitchell kidnapped several women โ€œunder the guise of making an arrest,โ€ before forcing them to have sex with him in exchange for their release. Suggested Reading The Root 100…

55-year-old Andrew Mitchell, a 30-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department in Ohio, was arrested by federal authorities on Monday. According to the Department of Justice, Mitchell kidnapped several women โ€œunder the guise of making an arrest,โ€ before forcing them to have sex with him in exchange for their release.

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Stefon Diggs and Cardi B Viral Boat Video Prompts Response from Patriots Coach
Stefon Diggs and Cardi B Viral Boat Video Prompts Response from Patriots Coach

Mitchell, who was placed on desk duty in September after the arrest of Stormy Daniels in a Columbus strip club led to a misconduct investigation, has also been under investigation for the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Donna Castleberry, a mother of two. Mitchell stabbed Castleberry before shooting her three times, claiming she drew a knife after an โ€œaltercationโ€ in the back of his unmarked police vehicle.

Last week, CBS affiliate WBNS revealed that Mitchellโ€™s rental properties have been linked to more than 600 police calls since 2013. His arrest was first reported by WBNS.

Mitchell, who was assigned to the Vice Unit in March of 2017 after joining the force in 1988, has received extra police protection since being placed on leave. He was indicted last week on three counts of depriving individuals of their civil rights under color of law and two counts of witness tampering, along with a single charge of obstruction of justice. His indictments were unsealed Monday.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Todd Wickerham called the accusations โ€œshockingโ€ and โ€œrevolting,โ€ according to the Daily Beast.

According to WBNS, Mitchell is believed to have arrested nearly 200 women over the last two years while he was detective for the cityโ€™s Vice unit. One such woman told the station that she was charged after refusing sex with him. According to U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman, Mitchell lied when questioned by the FBI.

โ€œSpecifically, when they asked if he had sex with prostitutes,โ€ Glassman said at a press conference Monday, โ€œhe lied to them.โ€

Of his hundreds of arrests, authorities allege Mitchell victimized at least three women, trading oral, vaginal and anal sex in exchange for their release.

As Franklin County Prosecutor Ron Oโ€™Brien prepares to present Castleberryโ€™s case to a grand jury within the next month, Donnaโ€™s family was still reeling from the loss of their loved one.

โ€œWe have been working for six months,โ€ said Bobbi McCalla, Donnaโ€™s sister. โ€œIt will be seven if it goes into April since my sister was killed. I think we are due answers.โ€

โ€œItโ€™s been hell,โ€ said Donnaโ€™s mother Michelle Dalton. โ€œItโ€™s still sad, itโ€™s still really sad.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.