Wife of registered sex offender arrested

Sherri Denise Williams, 39, of 1913 Peach Creek Court in Raleigh, is charged with three counts of misdemeanor child abuse for knowingly bringing children into a residence where a sex offender lived, police said.

Williams' husband, James Rudolph Freeman, 50, also of 1913 Peach Creek Court, has been charged with taking indecent liberties with a child, according to arrest warrants. Police said the charge involves inappropriately touching a young girl.

Freeman is also charged with failure to report a change of address and being on the premises of a child care center, the warrants state.

Williams and Freeman were employed at the Quality Education Institute of Raleigh, police said. The sexual offense did not occur there. The two no longer work there.

Williams is accused of bringing three children, including the victim, from the center to babysit them at the home she shared with Freeman on July 25.

"She willingly brought three juveniles into the home knowing her husband was a registered sex offender and not allowed to be around children," Raleigh Police Lt. Karen Riggsbee said.

Williams told WRAL News on Thursday that she and Freeman do not live together. For the last seven months, Williams said Freeman had been spending nights at a shelter.

"He wasn't here," William said.

On July 25, the night police said he touched the victim, Williams admitted that Freeman dropped by for a moment. She said the abuse never happened.

Williams’ daughter, Ashley, said her mom has always taken Freeman's side.

“She took up for him,” Ashley Williams said. “He has a history of actually doing this.”

Ashley Williams is the person who made the allegations against Freeman. She admitted she did not see the abuse, but said the kids said it happened.

She also said Freeman stayed at her mother’s house regularly.

“He was never at the shelter. He was always staying with my mother,” she said.

Sherri Williams said she and her daughter are not getting along and thinks the charges come from bad blood between them.

“There was nothing I would do to harm a child,” Sherri Williams said.

Sherri Williams was released on a $3,000 bond on Thursday.

Freeman was being held Thursday on a $1 million bond.