Riverhead, NY – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced that Eric Freeman, 48, of Bellport, has been found guilty of a series of crimes including rape and burglary. A jury convicted Freeman of illegally entering four homes and committing sexual assaults, targeting women who were alone.
Freeman, a Level Three sex offender previously convicted for failing to register as such, committed these crimes between June 22 and July 16, 2021. His criminal activities began with the assault of a 16-year-old girl in Bay Shore and included attempts to rape another woman in Bellport. Additionally, Freeman stole from homes and, in one instance, choked a woman in the presence of her 7-year-old daughter.
Despite being monitored with a GPS ankle bracelet after his arraignment, Freeman managed to evade surveillance by failing to charge the device. His arrest followed the July incidents, leading to charges that also encompassed a conspiracy to smuggle fentanyl into a correctional facility, a case still pending.
Freeman’s convictions include two counts of Burglary in the First Degree, Rape in the First Degree, and other charges related to sexual assault, attempted rape, and physical assault. These crimes reflect a pattern of predation and violence that led to his apprehension and subsequent trial before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz.
Scheduled for sentencing on March 20, 2024, Freeman faces the possibility of life imprisonment if deemed a persistent felony offender.