Police believe Dezi Freeman travelled to NSW, more arrests made
Police are investigating how Dezi Freeman evaded capture after attacking properties in Victoria and New South Wales and shooting two police officers dead, and have arrested two people.
Officers investigating Freeman believe he traveled between the two states and had several people assist him during the seven months he was on the run.
On Tuesday morning, police in both states executed search warrants: in Victoria officers converged on properties in Buckland, Stanley and Lucyvale, and in NSW they searched properties in Greenwich Park, Tarlo, Wombeyan Caves and Umina Beach on the Central Coast.
“Police seized a number of electronic devices at the addresses,” Victoria Police said in a statement regarding the ongoing Task Force Summit investigation.
“A 64-year-old Lucyvale man was arrested in Wodonga and will be interviewed by police. A 47-year-old Wombeyan Caves man was also arrested in Greenwich Park on an unrelated outstanding warrant.
“There are no further arrests at this time, but police are speaking to a number of people who were in various buildings.”
Officers confirmed the raids were part of an investigation into Freeman’s movements during the 216 days he was on the run.
“He is believed to have traveled between Victoria and NSW and received assistance from a number of different individuals during this time,” police said.
Freeman was shot dead after an hours-long standoff with police on a rural property in Thologolong, Victoria, on the Murray River, on March 30.
His death followed him shooting and killing police officers Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Neal Thompson in Porepunkah on August 26 last year. Freeman also seriously injured a third police officer before retreating to the wooded area on Buffalo Mountain bordering the property where he and his family were living at the time.
Ten police officers attended the Porepunkah property on August 26 to execute a search warrant as part of an investigation by the Wangaratta Sexual Offenses and Child Exploitation Investigation Team.
The seven months between that shooting and Freeman’s final stand at Thologolong included the largest manhunt in Victoria Police history; Eight different police teams and the Australian Defense Force were deployed to find him.
Following the clashes, Freeman became arguably the most high-profile Australian to identify with the sovereign citizen movement, a loosely affiliated group of individuals who believe state laws do not apply to them.
It was previously reported that the current police investigation is looking at whether other members of that community helped him evade capture.
This is not the first arrest police have made in connection with Freeman’s case since his death. On April 4, two of his suspected associates were arrested and released without charge. On May 26, two more men were handcuffed and released.
Both the Porepunkah and Thologolong incidents are subject to criminal investigation and officers are interested in speaking to anyone with information.
“The investigation does not stop just because Freeman has been located,” said Task Force Summit Detective Inspector Anthony Gasparini.
“We have said from the outset that if Freeman is alive, he would likely need significant support to leave the area and survive the coming months. To this end, we are seeking to identify and hold accountable those who provided this support to shelter a wanted fugitive and have potentially committed serious crimes.”
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