Former officer charged with child exploitation found dead by apparent suicide
Jun. 15—NEW ALBANY — A former Harrison County officer who pleaded guilty in Floyd County last week to child exploitation and voyeurism has died by apparent suicide, investigators have confirmed.
New Albany Police responded at around 10:15 a.m. Monday to the area of Vincennes Street near the K & I Bridge, where they found Kerry Freeberg dead by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a news release from New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey. Police had received communication just before that from Freeberg in which he had made threats to harm himself. Floyd County Coroner Greg Roution later confirmed the cause of death to be self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Freeberg pleaded guilty last week in Floyd County Circuit Court to all charges he faced — seven level 5 felonies for child exploitation and four level 6 felonies for voyeurism. The plea had been taken under advisement by Judge Terrence Cody, according to a news release from the Floyd County Prosecutor's Office, and the conviction not yet final. A sentencing hearing had been set for July 1, when Freeberg could have been sentenced to between one and 52 years.
He was initially charged in 2019 with three felonies after an investigation into allegations he had secretly filmed multiple victims younger than 14 in various states of undress in a bathroom they used. His arrest that month involved the SWAT team. Bond was initially set at $100,000 cash only, but it was later modified to $30,000 court cash and Freeberg was released in May 2019 after 10% of that was paid on his behalf.
Freeberg retired from the Harrison County Sheriff's Department in 2017.
