19-year-old back in jail for allegedly breaking into 200-plus cars across Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — A 19-year-old accused of breaking into hundreds of cars is back in jail after a judge modified her bond.

Hannah Freeman, who is also mother of two, is accused of breaking into more than 200 cars in a spree through Charlotte.

From Nov. 26 through part of December, police say Freeman broke into cars in Dilworth and south Charlotte. At one garage alone, prosecutors say she helped break into 93 cars.

Channel 9′s Hunter Sáenz was the only reporter in the courtroom when she was rearrested Friday morning.

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Initially, Freeman was given unsecured bonds, meaning she didn’t have to pay anything to get out of jail after police say she broke into 211 cars and even stole some of them. She was released three days after her arrest last month.

But on Friday, the handcuffs were put back on her in court after Judge Louis Trosch changed her bond to $50,000 secured. She’ll have to pay 10% to get out.

Trosch said Freeman was a danger to the community and deserved to have a secure bond. He made the decision after hearing the allegations against Freeman and even watched surveillance videos.

“Look, when you do something like this, this is what needs to happen,” Trosch said.

Several victims were in court and told Sáenz they were satisfied with the judge’s decision.

“It’s very meaningful to the victims, or something like this, to have the justice system see the seriousness of the crime,” one victim said.

That victim didn’t want to be identified, but she was one of the 211 people whose cars police say were broken into or stolen. She said her family’s only car was stolen.

“My partner was on call for heart attack emergencies that night and if he had gotten called in and the car hadn’t been there, somebody could have been killed,” she said.

Freeman’s defense attorney argued she wasn’t a risk and has followed her curfew rules while being out of jail. But that didn’t matter to the victims.

“If you don’t signal to the community that an offense like this is not acceptable, it slowly picks away at the fabric of society,” the victim said.

If Freeman bonds out, she’s ordered to be on house arrest 24 hours a day. She also must live with her parents, who are taking care of her two small children.

There is a codefendant in this case -- a juvenile who is accused of going on the crime spree with Freeman. Officials have not shared any more information about them because of state privacy laws.

(WATCH PREVIOUS: CMPD identifies suspects in 200+ car break-ins through blood left on victim vehicle)

CMPD identifies suspects in 200+ car break-ins through blood left on victim vehicle

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