Man convicted of kidnapping girl in Calumet City

An Indiana man was convicted of kidnapping a girl who was walking home from school in Calumet City.

Bryan Protho, 41, was found guilty by a jury Monday on one count of kidnapping in connection with the 2017 attack, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois said in a statement.

About 3:30 p.m. Dec. 20, Protho grabbed the girl from a sidewalk and dragged her into his red Ford Explorer, prosecutors said. He drove into a nearby alley, where he assaulted the girl.

She managed to get out of the SUV and flagged down someone in a passing vehicle, prosecutors said. The kidnapping was caught on surveillance video, and Protho was arrested a week after the attack.

During the trial in Chicago, the girl testified about her ordeal and identified Protho as the kidnapper, prosecutors said.

Protho, of East Chicago, is scheduled to appear in court March 5.

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