A former Henry County Commissioner is back in jail on new child molestation charges.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation officials arrested Gary Michael Freedman, 72, at his Henry County home Monday and charged him with two counts of aggravated child molestation and one count of sexual battery against a child under 16, according to the arrest warrant.
Freedman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served as a commissioner for eight years before making a failed run as commission chairman in 2004, remains in the Henry County jail without bond as of Friday.
He is accused of committing an “immoral or indecent act” on a male under the age of 16. The incidents were alleged to have occurred at Freedman’s Henry County home between June 1, 2007 and July 31, 2007. A preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. in the Henry County jail court, 120 Henry Parkway in McDonough.
It's the second time in the last 13 months that Freedman has faced allegations of child molestation. In July 2015, Freedman was the subject of a multi-state investigation. At the time, he faced a string of charges, including aggravated sexual battery, aggravated child molestation and sexual battery of a person under the age of 16. The alleged acts occurred at Freedman's Henry County home around 2006 and involved girls, GBI officials said. The GBI issued arrest warrants after the Indiana State Police contacted the agency requesting an investigation. A jury trial has not been set yet in this older case.
At the time, GBI authorities said there were other juveniles who were allegedly molested by him as well but those occurred in other states, including Michigan. None of the victims lived in Georgia.
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