MEDIA COURTHOUSE- A 67-year-old Chester man was sentenced to six to 20 years in a state prison Monday for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy numerous times throughout 2020.
Ivan Jackson-Freeman, of the 900 block of East 16th Street, previously pleaded guilty before Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard Cappelli to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years old and sexual abuse of a child, both felonies. Additional charges including unlawful contact with a minor, photographing a child sex act, child pornography and endangering the welfare of children were dismissed as part of the plea.
In addition to prison time, Jackson-Freeman was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, have no contact with minors or the victim, and undergo a psychosexual evaluation under the negotiated sentence worked out by Assistant District Attorney Diane Horn and defense counsel Kevin Coyne.
Jackson-Freeman was arrested in January 2020 following an investigation conducted by Chester Police Officer Jose Alvarez and Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division Detective Mark Bucci, both members of the Child Abuse and Exploitation Task Force.
The victim said during an interview at the Delaware County Child Advocacy Center that the assaults included multiple instances of Jackson-Freeman performing oral sex on him inside Jackson-Freeman’s home, according to an affidavit of probable cause written by Bucci and Alvarez.
Investigators seized Jackson-Freeman’s electronic devices under a search warrant and conducted a forensic analysis that corroborated the victim’s account, according to investigators. The images on the devices additionally revealed that Jackson-Freeman had set up cameras in his bathroom so he could secretly capture images of people using the facilities.
The victim and his mother were present in the court Monday but did not wish to give a statement, Horn said. Coyne noted his client is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army and had never been in trouble with the law before. He added Jackson-Freeman is “deeply, deeply sorry” for his actions and “feels horribly” for what occurred.
“I’m very sorry this happened,” said Jackson-Freeman. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was just going through a lot of stuff.”
Jackson-Freeman said he had seen five or six deaths within a year including family members, then learning his spouse was constantly cheating on him. He said he was depressed, had no feelings and was not in the right state of mind.
Horn said in a brief statement that the crimes here were unconscionable and unimaginable for any child to have to endure, and that the victim will carry this with him for the rest of his life.
Jackson-Freeman is scheduled to report to the county jail in Concord by 6 p.m. today to begin his sentence.
