NORTH RIDGEVILLE — A veteran detective with a history of investigating child sexual abuse cases has been honored by the FBI for his part in a two-year investigation that led to the conviction of a North Ridgeville man who dealt in child pornography.

North Ridgeville police Detective Adam Freas was recognized by the FBI on Nov. 12 for his efforts in bringing Theodore Bartlebaugh to justice, according to Cleveland FBI spokesman Scott Wilson.

Bartlebaugh recently was convicted on charges of knowingly possessing a computer containing child pornography in a federal court in Akron. On Oct. 28, he was sentenced to seven years and three months in a federal prison and is now being held at a federal facility in Youngstown awaiting transfer to a federal prison near Boston, according to Freas.

Freas, 38, has been a member of the department since 1996. He gained extensive experience in dealing with crimes committed by or against children during his years working as a resource officer with the North Ridgeville Schools from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.

The federal case struck home for Freas, who is married with his own family.

“I’ve got four kids of my own. I take a personal interest in this particular type of crime, because you get to see the good of it when you can help a child and their family when someone is trying to harm that child,’’ Freas said.

The investigation began in 2007 when FBI agents received information from the Queensland Police Service in the Queensland region of Australia about a man who was unwittingly chatting with undercover Australian police and transmitting explicit child pornography photos. The man, who was later identified as Bartlebaugh, believed he was talking with other adults who dealt in child pornography, according to authorities.

The photos Bartlebaugh transmitted were of males and females under the age of 18. Some of the children were nude and under the age of 11. None of the photos were linked to local children, said Freas.

Freas entered the case after FBI agents in Elyria contacted North Ridgeville police for help in executing search warrants.
Bartlebaugh confessed after an hours-long interview at his workplace.

Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.

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