Former Columbus vice officer’s federal trial delayed until July

A former Columbus Police vice officer who fatally shot a woman in the back of an unmarked car five years ago will not face federal trial this month.

Andrew Mitchell’s trial in the U.S. District Court in Columbus is now scheduled for July 24 after a defense request to push it back was granted.

Mitchell faces nine counts, including several charges of depriving someone of their civil rights and tampering with a witness, victim or informant. The FBI alleges Mitchell forced women to have sex with him in order to win their freedom.

Mitchell was tried last year in Franklin County on murder charges after shooting Donna Castleberry in the back of an unmarked police car in 2018. Mitchell pleaded not guilty and claimed he shot Castleberry in self-defense after she stabbed him in the hand during an attempted arrest.

That ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict. A retrial is scheduled for February 10.

Mitchell is being held in the Butler County Jail.