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RALEIGH – A Gates County native that spent 50-plus years in law enforcement has been honored by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

In February, Ray Freeman received the Lifetime Achievement Award from U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.

“I was pleased and pleasantly surprised upon learning that I was to receive this award,” said Freeman. “Over a nine-year stretch of my career, I led a multi-jurisdiction Federal Task Force fighting organized crime. I testified at numerous court trials, including New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. I was in and out of a lot of U.S. Attorney’s offices during that time.”

It was through that Federal Task Force where Freeman led an effort to disrupt the flow of marijuana and cocaine being smuggled into the continental United States.

“We interrupted a lot of drug traffic, put a lot of smugglers in prison,” Freeman said. “Those guys and gals did a great job in slowing down the illegal drug trade.”

Freeman, a 1962 graduate of Gates County High School, launched his law enforcement career in 1969 when he joined the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. As part of his near 20-year stint with the SBI, Freeman served as a bodyguard for Governor Bob Scott and Governor Jim Hunt. Meanwhile, he was part of SBI security details while five presidents were visiting North Carolina: Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

After serving as Commander of the Federal Task Force, Freeman became Chief of Police at Craven Regional Hospital, overseeing a staff of 17 officers. He came back to Gates County in 2008, and was hired four years later by then Sheriff Ed Webb and continued working under Sheriff Ray Campbell where he rose to the rank of Captain, retiring in June of 2023.

His life of public service includes two terms as a Gates County Commissioner (including a stint as chairman), President of the Gates Volunteer Fire Department, President of the Gates Ruritan Club, and Chairman of the county’s Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.