A Dallas police officer accused of stealing from the city turned himself in to jail Wednesday, according to court records.
A Dallas County grand jury on Friday charged Senior Cpl. Shawn Freeman, 58, with property theft valued between $2,500 and $30,000, a third-degree felony. An indictment handed up by the grand jury accuses the 29-year officer of “acquiring or otherwise exercising control over [money] without the effective consent” of the city.
The exact nature of the investigation was not immediately clear. Grand juries are empaneled in secret to review the work of investigators and prosecutors and decide whether there is sufficient evidence to merit a trial on criminal charges.
Court records do not list an attorney for Freeman. Attempts to reach him for comment Thursday afternoon were unsuccessful.
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The alleged theft took place on Dec. 7 and Jan. 26, according to the indictment.
Freeman has been on administrative leave since Jan. 29. The department’s Public Integrity Unit — which reviews allegations of misconduct involving city officials and employees, including police officers — was investigating him for alleged off-duty or overtime violations, according to an internal document obtained in a records request by The Dallas Morning News.
Freeman’s bail was set at $1,500, according to court records. Jail records no longer listed him in Dallas County custody Thursday afternoon.
A third-degree felony, if convicted, is punishable by two to 10 years in prison.
Freeman joined the department in December 1995. Corbin Rubinson, a department spokesperson, said he is assigned to patrol in the department’s North Central Division, which spans North Dallas and Far North Dallas.