6-year sentence for man who grabbed 13-year-old, saying he ‘likes little boys and girls’

A Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Attempted Abduction of 13-Year-Old Boy in Humboldt Park

A man accused of trying to abduct a random 13-year-old boy from a Humboldt Park street last year, just one week after being placed on electronic monitoring for allegedly selling drugs about a block away, has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Devontay Kenny, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful restraint in connection with the February 24, 2025, incident that began in the 3700 block of West Division Street. Prosecutors dropped child abduction and aggravated battery charges.

Kenny followed the victim down the street and repeatedly tried to get his attention, saying he “likes little boys and girls,” officials said in court filings. The boy refused to stop, and prosecutors said Kenny ultimately grabbed the boy by the sweater with both hands and pushed him against a brick wall to keep him from moving away.

After struggling with Kenny, the victim broke free and ran to a nearby convenience store for help. When witnesses confronted Kenny, he tried to convince them that he was the boy’s uncle, officials said.

Judge John Lyke handed down Kenny’s sentence on Monday and ordered him to register as a violent offender against youth, saying that the incident was not sexually motivated.

Exactly one week before he assaulted the boy, Kenny was placed on a nighttime curfew with an electronic monitoring bracelet after police accused him of distributing heroin and cocaine in the 3100 block of West Harrison Street and the 1100 block of North Pulaski Road, according to court records. Prosecutors dropped those drug charges three weeks after Kenny was charged with assaulting the child.

Kenny has several felony convictions on narcotics-related charges and a 2017 conviction for aggravated robbery, according to court records.