A recently fired Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy is facing sexual assault and strangulation charges after his arrest Friday.
Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté fired Deputy Jeffrey L. Freeman Friday as a result of an Indiana State Police investigation. Kevin Getz, public information officer of the Indiana State Police, said the female victim reported the incident to the Columbus Police Department after interacting with Freeman during a transportation detail to her car in the late hours of Tuesday or the early hours of Wednesday. Getz said the victim was not being charged or arrested for anything during the encounter.
According to a news release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Marté was alerted Thursday that the Indiana State Police was investigating Freeman’s conduct. Marté followed this alert by directing his command staff to perform an administrative review of the incident.
Freeman was fired Friday based upon policy violations. The release did not provide any further information on what occurred during the incident but said that the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is cooperating with the investigation.
Although there was no documented disciplinary action while he was a Monroe County deputy, Getz said he and the ISP want to ensure all potential victims have the chance to report illegal activity involving Freeman.
The criminal investigation remains open, and the Indiana State Police urges citizens of Monroe and Putnam County - where he previously served, to contact the ISP with a report of any questionable or inappropriate interaction with Freeman that violates the Indiana Criminal Code at 812-332-4411.
