He abused two boys under his care.
A Frederick man was convicted Wednesday of sexually abusing two boys. A Circuit Court Jury found Kenneth Mark Freeman, 52, guilty of three counts of felonious sexual abuse of a minor. The verdict follows four days of testimony and a little over a day of deliberations.
"What a victory for the children," says State's Attorney Charlie Smith in a statement.
According to the State's Attorney's Office, Freeman abused the kids while they were under his care. He is related to the victims. Testimony in court revealed that Freeman watched the children with his wife on weekdays and weekends, including some overnight visits. One of the children testified that he was seven when the abuse began. He is now 13. The younger child, now 9, doesn't remember when the abuse started, but the older boy remembers seeing the abuse of the younger child when he was 4 or 5. Both boys are related.
A third victim, who is now 7, was identified, but she did not testify. The jury found Freeman not guilty of abusing her.
The abuse stopped in January, 2010, when the oldest boy reported it to his mother.
Judge G. Edward Dwyer has scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2012. Freeman could receive 25 years for each count, and that totals 75 years. Smith says his office will be asking for the maximum sentence. "You're talking about fondling, fellatio, sodomy; just some real terrible stuff that these children endured," he says. "We believe absolutely that he should be spending the rest of his life in jail."
The case stems from an investigation by Frederick Police and the Department of Social Services Child Protective Services.
