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Vice Cop Indicted In Death of Donna Castleberry

U.S. Attorney's Office

Already facing federal charges, a former Columbus vice unit officer has been indicted on charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter.

A Franklin County grand jury Thursday indicted Mitchell in the August 23 shooting death of Donna Castelberry.  Police had said at the time that Mitchell was trying to arrest Castelberry for prostitution when she stabbed him in the hand while sitting in his car, and that Mitchell shot her multiple times.  Columbus police investigated the incident and requested a supplemental investigation from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Mitchell was relieved of duty a month after the shooting.  In March he was arrested on federal charges for detaining two women and forcing them into sexual activity in exchange for their release.  Unrelated to Castelberry's shooting, the charges were part of an FBI investigation into the divisions Vice Unit, which has since been disbanded.

interim police chief Tom Quinlan issued a written statement that said in part:

 "...Andrew Mitchell's actions have cast a long shadow over the Columbus Division of Police.  I am taking      concrete actions to restore the public's trust...."

Mitchell remains jailed on the federal charges, and prosecutors have asked that he reamin behind bars until he appears for an arraignment on the local indictment.  The cases will be prosecuted at the same time.

A native of Chicago, naturalized citizen of Cincinnati and resident of Columbus, Alison attended Earlham College and the Ohio State University. She has equal passion for Midwest history, hockey and Slavic poetry.
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