Jail time for teacher in embezzlement case

A former Three Rivers High School teacher who had pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor embezzlement was sentenced Tuesday in St. Joseph County District Court.
Judge Robert Pattison sentenced Sara Freeman, 33, to 180 days in the St. Joseph County jail. Freeman, a Burr Oak resident, will serve 120 days of the sentence, with 60 days deferred. She also was placed on probation for an additional two years.
Freeman, who will begin her jail sentence Friday, was arrested in March. Over a three-year period, Freeman had used her position as yearbook advisor to take advantage of finances meant for the publication and its production. She is no longer employed by the district.
In May, Freeman repaid $17,000 in restitution, according to St. Joseph County court officials.
She had made the restitution payment before a May22 deadline. Had Freeman not made restitution by that date, she would have faced the charge of felony embezzlement more than $20,000 but less than $50,000.