<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/victoria-police" target="_blank" title="Police"><span>Police</span></a><span> were led to double police killer Dezi Freeman by tracking a car which made repeated trips between </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/porepunkah-shooting" target="_blank" title="Porepunkah"><span>Porepunkah</span></a><span> and the Thologolong property where the fugitive was killed in a tense shootout, 9News has been told.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>9News understands police received a tip-off to an individual close to Dezi Freeman who repeatedly made the near-200km journey from Porepunkah to the town near the Victoria-NSW border.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Detectives used traffic cameras to track the vehicle completing the trip several times, which led them to Freeman's hideout.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/dezi-freeman-update-inside-the-police-operation-that-killed-wanted-fugitive/8fd50030-4e87-4358-a6cb-7345a052f96a" target="_blank"><strong><span>Dezi Freeman's final moments and the dramatic police operation that brought him down</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While the search for Freeman himself has come to a close, police are now turning their attention to his associates.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Anyone who may have helped harbour Freeman, or transported him from Porepunkah to Thologolong, could face up to 20 years in prison.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're going to track backwards, work backwards from yesterday and find out to work out who did assist him and those people, when identified, will be held to account," Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/police-tracked-cars-repeated-trips-from-porepunkah-to-thologolong-before-fatal-shootout-that-killed-dezi-freeman/0529c4da-3391-4326-9d5e-6b12dd5d333b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One neighbour said she does not believe the owner of the Thologolong property would have been connected to Freeman.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He is not suspected of any involvement and </span><a href="http://nine.com.au/" target="_blank"><span>nine.com.au</span></a><span> does not suggest he is involved in any way.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I don't think so. He's a quiet guy, he makes fertiliser with fish, that what he likes to do, no I don't think so," the neighbour said of the owner.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think I met him once, he's a good friend of my husband."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/dezi-freeman-update-timeline-events-porepunkah-shooting/41d647d1-8666-4612-9009-8f3b17a83d66" target="_blank"><strong><span>The timeline of events that led to cop-killer Dezi Freeman's death</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The owner has been living in eastern Tasmania since December and is battling a serious illness, </span><em><span>The Age</span></em><span> reports.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He has called a police station to make himself available whenever Victorian officers are ready to interview him, an anonymous friend told </span><em><span>The Age.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Age also reports the gate to the property had been left unlocked since January to allow the fire department access.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police are expected to remain on scene for several days, combing across the property for traces of other people who may have been there recently.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Freemans body has been taken to Melbourne to be examined by the state coroner, who will hold independent review into his death.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today said the sovereign citizen movement has been a major concern for Australia's intelligence services.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The mentality of the sovereign citizens, the head of ASIO has made very clear, warning about what this ideology represents," Albanese said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/vaping-linked-to-cancer-new-study-says/caf07f72-8a56-4afa-8e53-a0c239dd2f73" target="_blank"><strong><span>Vaping likely causes cancer, landmark Australian study finds</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They don't respect any processes, they regard the police and government and our entire society as not being legitimate."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Freeman's former friend Ray Kompe, who distanced himself from the 56-year-old father because of his extremist views, said there a small portion of the local Porepunkah community is mourning Freeman.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I've got good friends and some of them had sympathy for him and of course there's other ones who didn't, Kompe said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"With his sovereign citizen push, I dare say he felt an affinity for them and they felt an affinity for him."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Kompe claims his relationship with Freeman deteriorated when the self-described sovereign citizen started showing him graphic combat videos.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I said 'listen, I know that exists but why watch it?' And he said 'because it's the reality of life'," Kompe said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That's why I just decided it might be best if we terminate our friendship."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></strong></em><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><em><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Apple</span></strong></em></a><span> </span><em><strong><span>and</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a></li><li><em><strong><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>ticking this box here</span></strong></em></a></li><li><em><strong><span>Sign up to</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></strong></em></a></li></ul></div></div>