The family of a man who was arrested at gunpoint and restrained with zip ties during the search for the missing fugitive Dezi Freeman have sued Victoria Police.
Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen, fled authorities on August 26 after ten police officers arrived at his compound in Porepunkah, 300km northeast of Melbourne, to execute a search warrant.
He allegedly shot two officers, Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson.
Freeman then stole their weapons and ran into the surrounding bushland, sparking a mammoth, months-long manhunt.
The Sloan family has submitted a statement of claim in the Supreme Court of Victoria after their property was raided during the search for Freeman, The Herald Sun reports.
Jeremy Sloan and his partner Sarah Naylor said they were forced off the road by an unmarked car about 25km from Shepparton on October 1, 2025.
Mr Sloan, 32, said he was asked to get out of the vehicle and lie facedown on the ground, with his arms restrained with zip ties.
He was told he was under arrest for harbouring a fugitive.
The family of a man who was arrested at gunpoint and restrained with zip ties during the search for the missing fugitive Dezi Freeman (pictured) have sued Victoria Police
Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen, fled authorities on August 26 after ten police officers arrived at his compound in Porepunkah to execute a search warrant
Jeremy Sloan and his partner Sarah Naylor (pictured) said they were forced off the road by an unmarked car about 25km from Shepparton on October 1, 2025
When he was taken to his parents’ home under police guard, he was greeted by up to 30 police cars, ambulances, and a helicopter.
His 63-year-old father, Bryan, was also detained while officers searched the family property for Freeman.
However, Jeremy and Bryan Sloan and Ms Naylor – the three plaintiffs in the case were cleared of having any connection with Freeman.
The 32-year-old says he has no criminal record, nor did he have any connection to Freeman or the broader sovereign citizen movement.
The family is seeking compensation from Victoria Police for psychological harm as a result of officers actions.
‘Mum is a serving member of Victoria Police, and this has not only affected her personally, but has made it extremely challenging for her to continue in an organisation she has always respected and stood by,’ Mr Sloan told The Age.
‘We are seeking accountability, so that no one else has to endure what we have experienced.
‘In that instant, I felt exposed in a way that is difficult to put into words, as though my sense of safety had been stripped away.’
Jeremy and Bryan Sloan and Ms Naylor – the three plaintiffs in the case – were cleared of having any connection with Freeman (pictured)
Victoria Police told the Daily Mail it has ‘not received a writ in relation to the matter’
Jeremy King, principal solicitor at Robinson Gill, is representing the family and said the incident is ‘one of the strangest police operations’ he had seen in a long time.
‘This family still have no idea why they were arrested and why their property was raided,’ he told The Age.
‘Given the scale and cost involved, you would think the police should have a clear justification for the operation, yet we’re still in the dark.’
The writ was filed at the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday.
Victoria Police told the Daily Mail it has ‘not received a writ in relation to the matter’.
