Former Superintendent Devon Horton Faces Legal Challenges

Devon Horton, the former Superintendent of Evanston-Skokie District 65, has been involved in multiple legal issues. A grand jury in DeKalb County, Georgia indicted him on August 4 for charges including aggravated assault and cruelty to children. These charges arose from a physical altercation following a verbal dispute with his wife in January, according to DeKalb County court records.

This indictment is separate from Horton’s previous federal indictment in October 2025 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. The federal charges relate to an alleged kickback scheme and misuse of District 65 funds during his tenure as superintendent. Horton served as the superintendent in District 65 for four years and resigned in 2023. He later took a similar role with the DeKalb County School District but resigned after his indictment in Illinois and subsequent administrative leave.

On August 4, in Georgia, Horton faced charges of one felony count of aggravated assault and two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to children. According to DeKalb County court records, the incident involved attempted strangulation in the presence of his two children, leading to the misdemeanor charges. The police responded to a domestic dispute report from Horton’s home on January 16, initially noting a verbal dispute that turned physical.

Horton’s attorney in Georgia, Alasia Dalton of Robert James Trial Attorneys, did not provide a comment regarding the indictment. Horton posted a $27,000 bond and is scheduled for arraignment on September 2. However, his legal troubles are not limited to Georgia. He faces a federal trial in Illinois for charges including wire fraud, tax evasion, and embezzlement, which carry a potential maximum sentence of 290 years, as calculated by Pioneer Press based on previous reports.

Prosecutors in the federal case claim that from 2020 to 2023, Horton approved District 65 contracts for companies linked to three of his acquaintances: Antonio Ross, Alfonzo Lewis, and Samuel Ross. Allegedly, these companies performed minimal work while Horton received kickbacks totaling nearly $81,000. The federal indictment details that false invoices were submitted to fraudulently receive payments.

In his October 2025 arraignment at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, Horton pleaded not guilty to all federal charges. Following the allegations, then-District 65 Board President Sergio Hernandez and Vice President Nichole Pinkard expressed their deep concern but refrained from further comments to avoid jeopardizing the investigation.

Horton’s career prior to District 65 included serving as chief of schools for Jefferson County in Kentucky for five years. He started his educational career with Chicago Public Schools as a teacher before advancing to principal and assistant superintendent for East St. Louis Public School District 189.