BURRTON - Justin Freeman, who resigned from the Burrton City Council last week, pleaded no contest on Jan. 23 to two counts of aggravated battery, one count against each victim. He had been charged with seven counts of taking indecent liberties and one count of issuing a criminal threat. Three of the counts were for sex acts occurring between August 2017-April 26, 2020 against someone born in 2010. Four of the counts were for sex acts occurring between August 2017-Jan. 1, 2020 against someone born in 2006.
According to court documents, the terms of the plea agreement outline that the state will recommend the high number of the sentencing guidelines but will not oppose a border box, which means he could receive probation based on the sentencing grid. Freeman will obtain a sexual offender evaluation and follow all of the recommendations, have no contact with victims and have no unsupervised contact with children younger than 16, except for his minor children.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 10. Freeman faces between 31-136 months in prison, a fine of up to $300,000, and three years of probation. On Sep. 26, 2022, charges in a second case filed against Freeman for two counts of taking indecent liberties with a victim born in 2008, were dismissed.
