Bryan Protho Found Guilty Of Kidnapping Girl In Calumet City In 2017
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An East Chicago man has been convicted of kidnapping a girl as she was walking in south suburban Calumet City in 2017.
Federal prosecutors said Bryan Protho, 41, grabbed the girl on the sidewalk near 153rd Street and Burnham Avenue on Dec. 20, 2017, dragged her into a red Ford Explorer, and drove away.
After parking nearby, Protho assaulted the child, who was able to escape and flag down a passing vehicle, according to prosecutor.
A surveillance camera at a nearby home recorded the kidnapping, and Protho was arrested on Dec. 27, 2017. After a two-week trial, a jury on Monday convicted Protho of one count of kidnapping. He faces 20 years to life in prison at sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
Protho has a lenghtly criminal past, including charges of attempted first degree murder back in 1998. He cut a plea deal in that case and served 180 days on a charge of armed violence. He went back to jail in 2000 for two years on charges of aggravated use of a weapon by a felon.
