Former detective who kidnapped sex workers gets 11 years

COLUMBUS — A former Columbus police detective who admitted to kidnapping two sex workers by acting as if they were under arrest was sentenced Thursday by a federal judge to 11 years in prison.

The sentencing comes after Andrew Mitchell, 60, of Sunbury, pleaded guilty in December to two counts of depriving individuals of their civil rights while acting under color of law and one count of obstructing justice, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

“As a member of the vice unit and a long-serving police officer, Mitchell was wellaware of the special vulnerabilities of the sex workers and often drug-addicted females with which he came into contact,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker said in a statement. “Instead of helping them seek refuge, Mitchell was the type of predator who purposely targeted these women.”

Prosecutors say Mitchell worked for the police department in Columbus from 1988 to 2019. From 2017 to 2019, he was assigned to a vice unit that focused on solicitation.

In July 2017, Mitchell was working as a plain-clothes officer when he picked up a female sex worker, prosecutors say. After identifying himself as a police officer, he acted as if he was searching for outstanding warrants on the victim, prosecutors say.

Mitchell handcuffed the woman to a doorknob of his vehicle while he conducted the fake search, prosecutors say. He then drove the woman to a nearby parking lot with multiple dumpsters and held her against her will before dropping her off at her boyfriend’s residence.

In September 2017, Mitchell again was working as a plain-clothes officer when he picked up another sex worker, prosecutors say. After talking to the woman about how much she would charge for sexual activity, he identified himself as a police officer and told the victim she was going to jail.

Mitchell then drove the victim to a prk and held her against her will, prosecutors say.

When federal authorities began investigating Mitchell, he had several people help him clean out a rental property he owned in an effort to dispose of evidence, prosecutors say.