Categories: Chicago

Indiana Man Sentenced to 38 Years in Federal Prison for Kidnapping a Child in Chicago Suburb

A federal judge today sentenced an Indiana man to 38 years in federal prison for kidnapping a ten-year-old child as she walked home from school in Calumet City.

On the afternoon of Dec. 20, 2017, BRYAN PROTHO grabbed the child as she walked on a sidewalk in the south suburb.  Protho forcibly dragged the victim into a sport-utility vehicle and drove away.  He then parked the vehicle in a nearby alley, assaulted the child, and threatened to kill her.  The victim was able to get out of the car and flag down a passing vehicle, and law enforcement was contacted.

A jury last year convicted Protho, 42, of East Chicago, Ind., on one count of kidnapping.  During a two-week trial in federal court in Chicago, the victim testified about her ordeal and identified Protho as her abductor.

U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood sentenced Protho to 38 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of court-supervised release.

The Calumet City Police Department led the investigation, with assistance from the Chicago FBI Field Office and the Lansing Police Department.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Christopher Fletcher, Chief of the Calumet City Police Department; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Richard Slough, Interim Chief of the Lansing Police Department.

“As this innocent child skipped home from school with dreams of the upcoming Christmas break in her head, Protho attacked and forever changed the life of this bright child,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher V. Parente and Kelly Guzman argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “He is the worst kind of predator – a child predator.”

Shawn Genzone

Senior writer at the Chicago Morning Star

Recent Posts

Twins Aim for Sweep Against Cubs in Series Finale

The Minnesota Twins will attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Thursday afternoon, wrapping up the…

2 days ago

AI Deepfake Voicemails Target High-Level Officials

In June, an advanced impersonation campaign used artificial intelligence to target senior U.S. and international leaders by posing as Secretary…

2 days ago

Nvidia Becomes World’s Most Valuable Public Company

Nvidia Corp. has officially become the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, reaching a historic $4 trillion market…

2 days ago

How to Stay Safe From Bug Bites This Summer

Warm Weather Brings More Bug Bites—Here’s What You Need to KnowAs Chicagoans embrace the outdoors during summer, the increase in…

2 days ago

Blue Jays Win 10th Straight in Rain-Shortened Game

The Toronto Blue Jays extended their winning streak to 10 games Tuesday night with a 6–1 rain-shortened win over the…

3 days ago

AT&T to Pay $177M Over Massive Customer Data Breaches

AT&T has agreed to pay $177 million to settle two class-action lawsuits stemming from major data breaches that exposed the…

3 days ago