Former police officer sentenced in drug shakedown

SOUTH BEND – A former South Bend police officer was sentenced Tuesday to six years in federal prison for extorting drugs and money during a traffic stop.\nHaven Freeman, 32, who remained free on $25,000 unsecured bond, was scheduled to begin his sentence Jan. 15. Freeman was also ordered to serve three years of probation following completion of his sentence.\nFreeman, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in March, pleaded guilty in September to charges of using his official position to unlawfully demand property from a person and to possession of heroin with intent to distribute.\n“Significant segments of the American public distrust police officers these days, and crimes such as Officer Freeman’s wound public respect for law enforcement officers even further,” U.S. District Judge Robert L. Miller Jr. said.\nFreeman could not be reached for comment because there was no telephone number under his name in published listings.\nIn his plea agreement, Freeman admitted that he stopped a drug supplier’s van in summer 2005 after a drug dealer told him it might be carrying a large amount of cash. He displayed his gun and took the supplier’s cash and drugs, telling the occupants he would not arrest them if they cooperated. Court documents indicate that Freeman also threatened to separate the occupants from a child in the van unless they relinquished the drugs and money.\nFreeman kept the $2,500 cash and gave the heroin to the dealer who had given him the tip, according to court records. When the dealer sold the drugs, Freeman received a cut of the proceeds.\nFreeman resigned in March 2006 after serving 3.5 years on the force.