A detective with the Police Department in Columbus, Ohio, has been arrested on charges that he kidnapped two women under the guise of arrest and forced them to have sex with him to gain their freedom, prosecutors said this week.

The detective, Andrew K. Mitchell, a 31-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Police, kidnapped one woman in July 2017 and forced her to perform oral sex on him, federal prosecutors said in an indictment that was unsealed on Monday. On two separate occasions — in September 2017 and in the summer of 2018 — he forced a second victim to have sex with him, they said.

When Detective Mitchell learned he was being investigated, he tried to tamper with witnesses, obstruct the investigation and lied to federal prosecutors about having sex with prostitutes, according to the indictment.

Detective Mitchell, 55, was charged with three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law (the term for a crime committed by a police officer on duty), two counts of witness tampering, one count of obstructing justice and one of providing a false statement to federal agents. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.