Source: Administrative Office of the United States Courts, District of Illinois
Federal agents say they stopped a terrifying plan before it ever reached a Florida campus.
Devontay Shields, 35, pleaded guilty in Chicago federal court this week to a single count of attempted kidnapping after prosecutors say he plotted to abduct a child from a Fort Lauderdale private school and hold the child for ransom. Shields was arrested at Chicago’s Union Station in November 2024 as he prepared to head to Florida, and investigators say he had already stocked up on toys, zip ties, and other supplies for the plan. A judge has scheduled an in-person sentencing hearing for Feb. 23, 2026, and the charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Authorities say the scheme was disrupted before anyone was harmed…