‘FreeHi’ sentenced

By: CARISSA HEBERT

Managing Editor

David Lee “FreeHi” Freeman Jr. will serve 15 years in prison on drug charges, according to District Attorney (DA) Brent Coreil.

Freeman, 35 110 W. Lincoln St., Ville Platte, was facing three counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He was arrested twice in 2007 and the last time on January 11, 2008, by the Ville Platte Police Department.

The DA’s office made this a priority case for trial on March 24. The DA’s office considered Freeman to be a major drug dealer in Evangeline Parish. For this reason, Assistant DA Kathy Meyers and First Assistant DA Tony Walker were both assigned to work on the case along with DA Investigator Rudy Guillory. They coordinated their efforts with the detectives from the Ville Platte Police Department, Chief Neal Lartigue, Chief of Detectives Captain Keith Dupre of the sheriff’s office and Sheriff Eddie Soileau. All agreed this was a very good plea.

In addition to the 15-year sentence on each of the three counts, to run concurrent, Freeman forfeited the sum of $1,611, which was confiscated by the police department at the time of his arrests.

“This is the kind of result we get with a coordinated effort between law enforcement and the DA’s office,” said Coreil. Coreil and Lartigue further commented, “We will continue to take drug dealers like FreeHi off the streets of our community. These drug dealers were poisoning our young people and ruining good families.”

Coreil further stated, “This case exemplifies the kind of pleas we get in Evangeline Parish. Although there will be no jury trial with such a plea, there is no appeal and no further financial burden to the parish and police jury.”

Coreil commended the excellent work of Chief Lartigue and the Ville Platte Police Department on this case and also thanked the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.