Former Columbus officer sentenced in federal sex workers case

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A former Columbus police officer learned his fate after pleading guilty to kidnapping two women and then forcing them to perform sexual acts.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Ohio sentenced Andrew Mitchell to 11 years in prison. The judge also sentenced Mitchell, who was ordered to pay $300 in restitution, to five years of supervised release for the two counts of depriving civil rights and three years of supervised release for tampering with a witness.

The charges stem from a lawsuit claiming that Mitchell, of Sunbury, kidnapped two women under the guise of arrest for prostitution, and then forced them to perform sexual acts for their freedom, Mitchell, who was indicted in a separate case on charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter in April 2019, was indicted on federal charges one week later.

Mitchell, who has been incarcerated in Butler County Jail since 2019, reportedly had two people clean his apartment so that evidence could not be gathered in a search warrant. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office, the individuals disposed of evidence including photos, clothing, bedding and rental records, and used bleach extensively in the apartment to clean a bed, couch, ottoman and floor.

Mitchell, who was originally charged with three counts of depriving civil rights, five counts of tampering with a witness, victim, or informant, two counts of influence, and one count of destruction or removal of property to prevent seizure, pleaded guilty on Dec. 7 to two counts of depriving civil rights and one count of tampering with a witness.

He had previously rejected a plea deal offered at the end of November before changing his plea to guilty the following month.

The defense team for Mitchell, 60, asked that the judge consider the lowest or near the lowest amount of prison time in the prosecution's recommendation of seven-to-11 years in prison. In a sentencing memorandum filed April 26, the defense council cited Mitchell's age, character and having no prior record among the reasons for a lighter sentence.

Prior to his sentencing in federal court Thursday, Mitchell, who will not be required to register as a sex offender, apologized and accepted responsibility for his actions.

Hours after Mitchell changed his plea, the Columbus Division of Police released a statement about its former officer.

“Andrew Mitchell betrayed his oath, the values of the Columbus Division of Police and the trust of our community. He used his position to target and exploit some of the most vulnerable in our community. We hope the close of this dark, painful chapter brings some measure of peace to everyone he wronged.”

Mitchell was also accused of shooting and killing Donna Castleberry during a 2018 prostitution sting, but was cleared by a Franklin County jury in April. Castleberry died during what was originally described as an undercover prostitution operation. Police said Mitchell was attempting to take Castleberry into custody inside of an unmarked vehicle in the area of Bellows and South Yale Avenue. Police said Castleberry stabbed Mitchell in the hand in the moments leading up to the shooting.

The former Vice Unit officer went to trial twice in Franklin County Common Pleas Court for the killing of Castleberry, before being found not guilty of murder and voluntary manslaughter. In the initial proceedings in April 2022, the judge declared a mistrial when the jury reported three separate times that it was deadlocked.

Mitchell’s cases and the 2018 arrest of porn actress Stormy Daniels were among controversies that ultimately led to the Columbus Division of Police abolishing its Vice Unit. Mitchell retired from the division the day after CPD announced the disbandment.