Molester sentenced to at least 103 years.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

A 38-year-old Springfield man who molested 10 boys he befriended through his sports card business and Scout activities was sentenced Thursday to more than 103 years behind bars - all Measure-11 prison time that cannot be reduced for any reason.

Parents of two victims who attended the hearing in Lane County Circuit Court said the sentence is a relief because they and their sons need not fear Steven Jeremy Freeman will ever be on the street to hurt them again.

One victim's mother said she never suspected abuse would happen in the card shop where her son hung out. She said the crime was particularly hurtful to her because she had been molested as a child and had vowed to protect her children. She said she hopes Freeman reaps similar abuse "10-fold" in the prison system.

Even though Freeman has been stopped, the harm he did continues, she said. Freeman molested boys ranging in age from 4 to the early teens. Some of the victims, including her son, are now acting out sexually with other children because they are confused and don't know any better, she said.

The Register-Guard's policy generally is to not identify child victims or victims of sex crimes.

Freeman's defense lawyer, Clayton Lance, said Freeman himself is a victim of childhood sexual abuse and "a perfect example" of the cycle of abuse than can follow victims. But Lance said Freeman's childhood abuse is no excuse for his crimes.

"Mr. Freeman was severely abused by his stepfather. He used Mr. Freeman as a sexual toy. That was essentially his relationship with his stepfather," Lance said.

In court, Freeman sat in green jail clothing, hunched forward, head down, his ankles locked to a chain, crying. He was arrested 16 months ago, but his case was delayed for months when he was hospitalized for mental evaluation.

Judge Maurice Merten did not require him to stand, as is the custom when a defendant is sentenced. Freeman offered no comment in court, but could be heard sobbing.

Merten said the lengthy sentence - more than four times the minimum sentence for murder - is justified by Freeman's continuous plotting against children and by the number of his victims. Even though no one died, the harm Freeman did is tremendous, Merten said.

"A homicide often is an episodic, one-time act," Merten said. "This type of crime is not episodic. It's planned. It's continuous. It creates a tidal wave of injury."

Deputy Lane County District Attorney Alex Gardner described Freeman as "a stereotypical pedophile," who took up video games, ran a sports card shop and volunteered as a Boy Scout leader to be near boys he could groom for sexual activity with offers of games, cards and other gifts. Investigators determined none of the abuse occurred during a Scouting activity. Most of it happened in an apartment behind the card shop Freeman owned.

Gardner said research strongly shows pedophiles cannot change their behavior and will always be a danger to children. He credited "brave children and exceptionally good police work" for settling the case without a trial.

After a child told a parent about abuse, it was reported to Springfield investigators, Gardner said. They quickly obtained a search warrant for Freeman's residence, where they found child pornography, photographs and videotape of Freeman sexually abusing the victims. They were able to identify other victims from the photos and built overwhelming evidence for prosecution, Gardner said.

In a non-jury trial June 4, Freeman was convicted on six counts of sodomy, seven counts of sexual abuse, two counts each of using a child in the display of sexual conduct and encouraging child sexual abuse. Several other charges were dismissed in the negotiated settlement. If convicted on all the original charges, Freeman faced more than 166 years in prison.