UPDATE @ 3:37 p.m.
Columbus police officer Andrew Mitchell is facing federal charges after he allegedly held women against their will and forced them to engage in sexual acts for their freedom according to our partners at WBNS.
The charges were announced Monday afternoon at a press conference with federal, state and local law enforcement officials.
Mitchell is being charged on seven counts: three counts deprivation of rights under color of law, two counts witness tampering, one count of obstruction of justice and one count false statement to a US agency.
FIRST REPORT:
A Columbus police officer is expected to face federal charges that will be announced today, according to Columbus media sources.
Our news partners at WBNS-TV and the Columbus Dispatch both report that officer Andrew Mitchell, 55, is in federal custody. Details are expected to be released at a 2:30 p.m. press conference.
Mitchell, a former vice officer, was relieved of duty in September after the FBI Public Corruption Task Force opened its investigation, the Dispatch reported.
MORE: Ex-local cop sentenced for raping women while on duty
He fatally shot a woman in an alleged prostitution sting Aug. 23, and that case remains under investigation. Police had said that Mitchell was attacked by Donna Castleberry, 23, who drew a knife before being shot to death.
WBNS has reported that Mitchell also was being investigated for allegedly requesting sex from women he had detained.
Mitchell’s attorney, Mark Collins, confirmed his client’s arrest, the Dispatch said.
The agencies conducting the press conference today said it involved an indictment related to a “law enforcement officer depriving victims of their constitutional rights by kidnapping the victims under the guise of an arrest and forcing them to engage in sex for their freedom.”
