Former officer will not face charges

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Marshall Freeman, a former Mobile Police officer who admitted he had sex with a teenager, will not face any charges.

Officer Marshall Freeman resigned March 11 amidst allegations of sexual misconduct. Investigators said Freeman, a 20-year veteran, had sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl at least two times.

The Mobile County District Attorney's Office determined that Freeman did not break the law, but the child advocacy center believes that should change.

Freeman joined the force in 1989. He worked in the Community Services Division. Investigators said Freeman had consensual sex with a 16-year-old girl on multiple occasions.

"While I'm sure there's no one in Mobile County who thinks that this was a moral or ethical thing to do, this is not an illegal act in the state of Alabama," said Nicki Patterson, the Chief Assistant District Attorney of Mobile County.

"It's an old law and a bad law," said Pat Guyton.

Guyton, the Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center, believes the law needs to be changed for people in positions of trust or authority.

"People like law enforcement, or people like coaches, teachers, they have a psychological advantage to someone at 16, who's judgment is not yet developed," he said.

Guyton said that judgment isn't fully developed until girls are over 18-years-old.

"The part of the brain that deals with judgment in the frontal lobe is that last part of the brain to develop. It doesn't usually develop in girls until they're about 19-20," Guyton added.

Regardless, the law states this was not a crime.

"I'm not saying that any adult can have sex with any 16-year-old girl. There are circumstances that can make that illegal; but we didn't have those circumstances here," Patterson said.

Investigators said Freeman may have had inappropriate sexual contact with the teenage girl in July.

Freeman could not be reached for comment.