A prosecutor in Ohio will review and dismiss open cases based solely on the policing of a vice detective accused of forcing women to have sex with him in exchange for their freedom.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the move follows the March 7 federal indictment of Andrew K. Mitchell, a 55-year-old Columbus vice detective who allegedly kidnapped two women under the guise of an arrest and forced them to perform sex acts before releasing them.
Klein will also review previous convictions in cases involving Mitchell on an individual basis.
“Further, if defendants who have previously pleaded guilty to a charge have facts involving Officer Mitchell that were not known to prosecutors at the time of conviction, we will review those convictions on a case-by-case basis,” Klein said in a statement released Tuesday. “Defendants should have their attorney contact our office with relevant information.”
Meredith Tucker, a spokeswoman for the city prosecutor’s office, said officials had not yet found any pending municipal court cases involving Mitchell as of Tuesday. As a vice detective, Mitchell was involved in 86 cases filed last year, Tucker told the Columbus Dispatch.
Prosecutors allege Mitchell kidnapped his first victim in July 2017 and took her to an undisclosed location, where he forced her to perform oral sex before she was released. The 31-year department veteran allegedly victimized a second woman in September 2017, taking her to a location where he forced her to have sex before letting her go.
Mitchell then kidnapped the second victim again last summer before again taking her against her will to an undisclosed location, where he forced her to have anal sex, prosecutors said.
Mitchell, who was relieved of his police duties in September, is also accused of lying to FBI agents last year when he denied having sex with prostitutes, according to a seven-count indictment. He’s also accused of trying to tamper with two additional witnesses in the case and to impact testimony of a fifth victim in a proceeding before a federal grand jury, prosecutors claim.
Mitchell’s attorney, Mark Collins, has told the Dispatch that his client “absolutely 100 percent” denies the allegations. Mitchell, who remains in US Marshals Service custody, is due back in court Wednesday for a detention hearing.
If convicted of charges of depriving individuals of their civil rights while acting under the color of law, Mitchell faces up to life in prison.




