Terry Lynn Freeman was set to plea guilty to one count of online solicitation of a minor on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m., but as the minute hand moved past the top of the hour, there was still no sign of the defendant.
The 44-year-old was one of nine jailed in a sting conducted by TxDPS and SAPD in December last year that resulted in six third-degree felony indictments punishable by two to 10 years in the penitentiary and a fine not to exceed $10,000.
Clad in an unironed polo type shirt with broad orange stripes and smaller white and blue ones, black jeans and tennis shoes, Freeman entered 391st District Judge Tom Gossett's courtroom at roughly five after 2 and took a seat in the gallery. An attorney present with him waited for the judge to complete his business with another defendant, then approached the bench with 51st Assistant District Attorney Megan White.
After a few minutes of somewhat quiet whispers, Judge Gossett addressed Freeman by name, confirming his wish to back out of the plea deal and move forward with the case on the jury trial docket. Gossett then set the case for pretrial on Aug. 4, with a trial tentatively scheduled for Aug. 17.
Freeman declined to provide comment as to why he had rejected the previously agreed upon plea bargain on Tuesday afternoon. He has loudly declared his innocence since he was booked into the county jail as part of the sting on Dec. 8 of last year. The week-long operation landed himself and eight others behind bars, each of them responding to a bored teen ad on the internet and expressing intentions to engage in sexual activity with investigators they believed to be minor female children under the age of 15. He and six others were indicted for online solicitation of a minor, a third-degree felony, on Feb. 2.
When details of the sting were released to the public last December, Freeman was immediately identified by community members as the administrator running several Facebook pages targeting San Angelo and neighboring communities. Some of those pages that Freeman still runs include:
San Angelo Furniture Buyers and Sellers
San Angelo Man Stuff (not San Angelo Real Man Stuff)
San Angelo Online Resale (not San Angelo Online Resale Store)
San Angelo's Anything Under $20
San Angelo Online Pet Store
San Angelo Freecycle (not Freecycle San Angelo)
San Angelo's Women's Stuff
This and That Resale
Daily Strength San Angelo's Online Support Group
Sonora, Ozona, Eldorado Swap and Sell Anything
Update: July 15, 10:56 a.m.
According to court records, in exchange for a guilty plea, Freeman would have been sentenced to four years confinement in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Probation was not a part of the offer, records indicate.
Comments
I've dealt with Terry on numerous occasions via email because of various posts either on Craigslist or a Facebook group. I've never met him in person though. I can say that the interactions I've had with him were bizarre (to say the least). Nothing sexual. Just an issue of his mental state being less than "stable". I'm not a doctor or a therapist but my guess is that he suffers from bi-polar at the very least and very possibly something far more significant such as sociopathic tendencies. He can flip in the blink of an eye, with no warning and always came across to me as being paranoid that everyone was stalking him or out to get him. He would continually go on and on about one person in particular whom he felt had targeted him out of a professional jealousy. His ex wife leaves a lot to be desired due to her lack of understanding of how serious the allegations are against him and her refusal to even entertain the idea that he could be guilty. Sadly, they have a young daughter together and I worry about her safety with either one of them. Perhaps the authorities could investigate the welfare of the daughter??
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PermalinkI take care of both my kids. you dont know anything about what i fell or what im thinking. terry is a grown man i dont controll him. to bring my kids in this when we live miles and miles away your sorry... my kids welfare is non of your concern. they are very well taken care of... which i have many doctors, pastors, friends who can tell you i take very good care of my kids. they have nothing to do with what terry does. my oldest isnt even his biological child and my youngest who is but so what, they dont have a say so of what he does either. your not even a woman to sit here and think you know something... believe me im not the one who needs a checking on and my kids dont need a welfare check... so go worry about yourself and your thinking you know me and how my kids are taken care of and leave my kids out of any drama in san angelo or what yall got to say about terry
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PermalinkI take care of both my kids. you dont know anything about what i fell or what im thinking. terry is a grown man i dont controll him. to bring my kids in this when we live miles and miles away your sorry... my kids welfare is non of your concern. they are very well taken care of... which i have many doctors, pastors, friends who can tell you i take very good care of my kids. they have nothing to do with what terry does. my oldest isnt even his biological child and my youngest who is but so what, they dont have a say so of what he does either. your not even a woman to sit here and think you know something... believe me im not the one who needs a checking on and my kids dont need a welfare check... so go worry about yourself and your thinking you know me and how my kids are taken care of and leave my kids out of any drama in san angelo or what yall got to say about terry....AND FOR THE OTHERS WHO THINK THEY KNOW IT ALL.... TERRY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GOFUND ME ACCOUNT MY COMMUNITY OPENED. FOR MY DAUGHTER.... HE JUST SHARED IT AND FOR THE ONES WHO SAID IT WAS HIM TRYING TO COLLECT MONEY.. THE MONEY WE GOT WENT TO HER MEDICAL SUPPLIES SHE NEEDED
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PermalinkNeed I remind you of your numerous posts on Facebook Buy/Sell/Trade groups where you vehemently defended him??? I totally understand being in denial either due to fear or love. But, you made it VERY clear that NONE of this was his fault and he had been entrapped. Excuse me??? Even if it was a case of entrapment...The FACT is that he believed he was communicating with a young girl. He is a pedophile and ALL children of ALL pedophiles should be protected under ALL circumstances. Your young daughter is not safe from his pedophilia and you cannot convince me that you do not allow him to have "alone time" with her.
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PermalinkI can care less if he's guilty or innocent and that's where you're wrong again my daughter never leaveS my side with her illnesses and disability I can't even go to the bathroom by myself so of course you're wrong my daughter is never in San Angelo with out me and when we are in San Angelo she doesn't leave my side she loves her dad but new environment scare her with her autism so talk what you know and unless you have seen my child alone with her dad don't start rumors because I can guarantee my daughter has never been in San Angelo with out me and I will never speak bad about her father in front of her he's a grown man he can take care of himself I won't sit here and allow my daughters to be dragged into his drama they are innocent they have nothing to do with what he didn't and neither do I keep my kids and how you are scared for them out of your mouth because I take care of my kids 24/ 7 365 days a year and anybody I know will tell you my kids are well taken care of so get your facts straight before you bring my kid in drama..I'm not dumb obviously you think I am but if they charged him then they have somethingbut that has nothing to do with my kids so keep them out of it
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PermalinkI will wave a white flag and call a truce in regards to your daughter's "safety". I must say though, I find it interesting how you have once again chosen to put yourself INTO this type of discussion. It's almost as if you desire attention any way you can get it.
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PermalinkI only got on this crap because it was brought to my attention my kids were mentioned. I don't want no part of this crap. I just want my kids left out...as long as my kids are left out I won't be around I don't care about what anyone says about Terry..he did this to yourself..leave my kids out of it you won't hear from me again
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