BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — UPDATE: Jeffery Freeman Jr. was charged on Aug. 30 with sexual battery by threatening deadly force, strangulation, official misconduct and obstruction of justice.
Freeman was arrested on Aug. 25 and was released on bond.
A 29-year-old former Monroe County Deputy has been arrested for sexual battery and strangulation.
Jeffrey Freeman Jr. also faces preliminary charges of official misconduct and obstruction of justice.
A woman reported the attack to Columbus Police late in the night of Wednesday, Aug. 21. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office was reviewing the incident when they learned of another alleged violation with a different woman. That is being investigated by state police as well.
Freeman is being held in the Morgan County Jail.
"We want to assure the women of Monroe County that that we don't want them to be afraid of our law enforcement officers," said Indiana State Police Sergeant Kevin Getz.
He was fired by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office on Friday, Aug. 23.
Freeman started as a probationary deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in March.
Before that he was hired as a jailer at the Monroe County Jail in January.
He worked for four years a merit deputy in Putnam County between 2016 and 2020.
In a statement, Indiana State Police said:
"Detectives request that any Monroe County citizen with questionable or inappropriate interactions and/or interactions that may have violated Indiana criminal code with Deputy Freeman, please contact the Bloomington Post, at 812-332-4411."