Jennings County Sheriff facing felony charges in sign thefts

Jennings County Sheriff Kenny Freeman is facing multiple charges including three felonies after an investigation into stolen campaign signs.

According to the Indiana State Police, a grand jury last week indicted Freeman on charges following a six month investigation by the Indiana State Police Special Investigations Section. He is facing felony charges of official misconduct, obstruction of justice and perjury and two misdemeanor counts of theft.

State police were contacted in November by a candidate for sheriff in Jennings County who had campaign signs taken from along area roadways. The candidate placed a GPS tracking device on a sign and when it was also stolen, it was tracked to a dumpster on Freeman’s property, troopers say.

Troopers retrieved the sign from Freeman’s dumpster, where they found other signs including one for a candidate for judge. After the signs were recovered, Freeman then issued a complaint and ticket to the candidates related to the placement of their signs.

Because of Freeman’s status as an elected official in Jennings County, Dearborn and Ohio Counties Prosecuting Attorney Lynn Deddens was appointed along with Ripley County Superior Judge Jeffery Sharp to oversee the case.

An arrest warrant was served on Freeman Monday morning and he turned himself in to the Ripley County Jail after which was released on his own recognizance. Freeman waived his right to have an Initial Hearing on the charges and a pre-trial hearing date will be set by the court.