Executive Summary
- Barry Coleman, 14, has been charged as an adult for allegedly orchestrating a kidnapping.
- The 7-year-old victim was taken at gunpoint and held for a $100,000 ransom.
- Two adult co-defendants, aged 25 and 38, are also charged in the scheme.
- Coleman was previously in a residential treatment center for a separate offense.
Prosecutors in Milwaukee have charged 14-year-old Barry Coleman as an adult in connection with the July kidnapping of a 7-year-old boy, alleging the teenager orchestrated the abduction that triggered a citywide AMBER Alert. Coleman faces multiple felony counts, including kidnapping as a party to a crime with the use of a dangerous weapon and taking hostages.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, the abduction took place near 61st and Hustis streets. Court filings state that two individuals armed with guns ambushed the victim and his father; one suspect reportedly chased the father while the other seized the child. The boy was held at a residence miles away from the abduction site before being recovered unharmed approximately 24 hours later.
Investigators allege that the kidnapping was a targeted attempt to extort money. Prosecutors stated that the group planned to demand a $100,000 ransom from the victim’s mother, whom Coleman reportedly described to investigators as a “big-time drug dealer.” Coleman is charged alongside two adult co-defendants, 25-year-old Corey Williams and 38-year-old Fabian Johnson, who were previously arrested in connection with the plot.
During a court appearance regarding the new charges, Court Commissioner Barry Phillips set Coleman’s cash bond at $100,000. “I set $100,000 because that was the ransom you guys allegedly requested,” Phillips stated in court. He further remarked on the impact of the event, noting, “For 24 hours, [you] not only held a 7-year-old hostage, but the city was held hostage.” Prosecutors also revealed that Coleman discussed the kidnapping during a recorded phone call with his father, who is currently incarcerated in state prison.
Court records indicate that at the time of the kidnapping, Coleman had recently been released to a residential treatment center following a separate heroin-related case. Prosecutor Janette Corbett highlighted this timeline during the proceedings, stating, “He was given a break for that crime at that residential treatment center and then immediately committed this offense.”
Judicial Proceedings and Legal Context
The decision to waive the 14-year-old into adult court underscores the severity of the charges and the calculated nature of the alleged ransom scheme. Coleman faces a preliminary hearing scheduled for December 8, while the cases against co-defendants Williams and Johnson continue to move through the Milwaukee County court system. It is important to note that all individuals mentioned in this report, including Coleman, Williams, and Johnson, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
