Former band director at Freeburg High School is sentenced to prison in Oklahoma
An Oklahoma judge has ordered a former longtime band director at Freeburg Community High School to spend five years in prison on a conviction of engaging in unlawful communication with a minor by use of technology.
Keith Mitchell, 71, of Freeburg, pleaded “no contest” on Wednesday in Pottawatomie County Court in Shawnee.
“A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, and it can’t be used in any civil or other proceeding as an admission of guilt,” his Oklahoma attorney, Bob Wyatt, said Friday.
A no-contest plea does result in a conviction, however.
In Mitchell’s case, the judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison but suspended five years of it. That will essentially become his probationary period. He also must register as a sex offender.
Shawnee police arrested Mitchell in May 2024 at a local motel. In an affidavit of probable cause, they alleged that he had committed three felonies, including soliciting sexual conduct with a minor by use of technology, violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act and making lewd or indecent proposals/acts to a child under 16.
The Pottawatomie County district attorney’s office ultimately charged Mitchell with one felony count of engaging in unlawful communication with a minor by use of technology.
At the time of Mitchell’s arrest, Greg Frerking, then superintendent of Freeburg Community High School District 77, verified that he had worked as the school’s band director for 36 years before retiring in 2012.
Police reported that Mitchell drove from Illinois to the Super 8 motel in Shawnee, thinking he was rendezvousing with a teenager he met online. He actually had been exchanging messages with members of Oklahoma Predator Prevention, a group that lures child sexual predators to various locations, confronts them and turns them over to authorities.
Police arrived at the Super 8 just before 6 p.m. on May 17, 2024, according to the incident report. They arrested Mitchell and took him to Pottawatomie County’s jail facility.
Video that members of Oklahoma Predator Prevention posted on social media showed their confrontation with Mitchell in the hotel room. They referred to the fictional victim as a 15-year-old boy named “Josh” and read portions of his online messaging.
In the video, Mitchell acknowledged exchanging messages with “Josh” but maintained that the boy had told him he was 18. It’s not clear why police referred to the fictional victim as a female in their report.
Mitchell was released from jail on May 20, 2024, after posting 10% of his $20,000 bond. He later pleaded “not guilty” to the felony charge but on Wednesday changed his plea to “no contest.”
Sarah Gass, current superintendent of Freeburg District 77, couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.
This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 5:52 PM.
