Note: This story contains descriptions of alleged incidents of sexual battery, and reader discretion is advised.
MONROE COUNTY, Ind. — Court documents filed on Friday revealed that a former Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy was on-duty when he sexually assaulted a woman in Bloomington.
Jeffery L. Freeman, 29, was arrested by Indiana State Police last week. The following charges were levied against him:
- Sexual battery — a Level 4 Felony
- Strangulation — a Level 6 Felony
- Obstruction of justice — a Level 6 Felony
- Officials misconduct — a Level 6 Felony.
According to an affidavit for probable cause, Freeman was involved in an alleged sexual assault on Aug. 21. During an interview with state police, a woman alleged that, on that date, she ordered an Uber to Aspen Heights Apartments in Bloomington.
The driver of her car dropped her off in the 100 block of West 6th Street instead of her desired location. Upon her drop-off, the woman spoke with a Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy and indicated she was lost.
The woman told ISP the deputy indicated he was off-duty, but would use his radio to call another law enforcement official to the area. The deputy that later responded to the scene was Freeman.
Court records indicate Freeman proceeded to take the woman to Aspen Heights. The woman later told police Freeman moved a bag out of the front seat of his car and indicated she could sit there and wait.
The woman claimed that, once she moved to the front seat of the car, Freeman pulled around to the back of the apartment building. Once they pulled around behind the building, Freeman brushed his hand on the woman’s leg.
In an interview after the incident, the woman told police Freeman said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to grope you,” after he touched her leg.
The woman also told investigators Freeman turned his body-worn camera off during the incident. State police verified the woman’s claim after their interview with her.
Per court records, after he turned his bodycam off, Freeman began behaving strangely. He allegedly grabbed the woman’s phone and started going through her camera roll looking at private photos and videos.
The woman claimed Freeman then began asking her questions like, “Is that your a** and your tits?” The woman also told police Freeman said, “I bet you like your a** slapped,” during the interaction.
According to court documents, Freeman also asked the woman to bend over and pull her shirt down during the incident. The woman refused Freeman’s requests.
During her interview with investigators, the woman said Freeman subsequently started choking her, pulling her hair and slapping her face. The woman also claimed the deputy stuck his finger in her mouth.
ISP reported that the woman said Freeman ran a portable breath test tube under her tank top so he could see her breasts.
The woman alleged that the deputy asked her if she would engage in a relationship with a married person and keep it quiet. The woman added that she would not participate in a situation like that because it would be wrong.
The woman told investigators the deputy followed her inside while she was trying different keys to get into the building. Police later obtained security camera footage that confirmed the deputy escorted the woman into the building.
The affidavit detailing police’s investigation does not provide any additional information on how the woman’s interaction with Freeman ended. The document does clarify that Freeman allegedly committed crimes against the woman while he was on-duty, using a fully-marked car and armed with his duty weapon.
State police spoke with Freeman on Aug. 23. During the interview, the deputy admitted he kissed the victim and smacked her face. Per ISP, Freeman denied almost all other allegations brought against him.
Freeman confirmed during his interview with ISP that he turned his bodycam off. He claimed he turned the camera off when the call was complete.
State police wrote that Freeman’s statement “proves to be false because the body camera footage ended shortly after they arrived at the Aspen apartment complex and is not turned back on when it is known that his time on scene at Aspen with the victim lasted longer than the body camera shows.”
As his interview with investigators continued, Freeman began to claim the victim was the aggressor. He told police the woman initiated flirting and kissing. Freeman also claimed the woman wanted to show him nude photos on her cell phone.
Per ISP, none of the behavior Freeman claimed the woman was exhibiting was documented on his bodycam.
During her interview, the victim told police the deputy sent her a text. When investigators confronted Freeman about the text, he said he deleted the message off of his department-issued cell phone.
Previous reporting indicates Freeman had fairly extensive law enforcement experience before he joined the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
His career began in 2013 when he worked at the Putnam County Jail. He then became a merit deputy for the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office in 2016.
From 2020-23, Freeman was employed in the private sector. He became a jailer at the Monroe County Jail in January. Freeman took a job as a probationary deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in March.
According to a press release, state police first began looking into Freeman’s activity on Aug. 22. The Columbus Police Department notified ISP that it took a report regarding sexual battery from a woman from Bartholomew County.
CPD forwarded that report to ISP. State police then made Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marte aware of the incident soon after.
After an administrative review of the incident, the sheriff’s office discovered a second policy violation involving Freeman and another female subject.
It is unclear exactly what incident the affidavit that was filed on Friday details. ISP indicated that it is looking into the reports filed by CPD and identified by MCSO.
Previous reporting shows that Freeman was arrested without incident on Aug. 23. He was booked into the Monroe County Jail and then transferred to the Morgan County Jail.
Freeman has been fired by MCSO. Detectives are asking anyone who had “questionable or inappropriate interactions” with the deputy to call state police at (812) 332-4411.
