Former DeKalb superintendent faces child cruelty, assault charges after arrest
Former DeKalb superintendent Devon Horton was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault and child cruelty.
The charges stem from an alleged incident not related to the school district, a school system spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.
“As this is an active legal matter with law enforcement, the district has no further information to share and will not be making additional statements,” the statement read. “The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority.”
Horton was hired to lead the DeKalb County School District in 2023 and resigned in 2025, after he was indicted on federal charges related to a kickback scheme at his old job.
He was arrested Saturday afternoon by the DeKalb County Police Department. He was booked on two charges: aggravated assault/strangulation and cruelty to children in the third degree. He was being held Saturday night without bond.
Horton was indicted in October on federal charges related to an alleged kickback scheme at his old job in Illinois.
The indictment accused Horton of steering district contracts in the Evanston-Skokie School District 65 outside of Chicago to his longtime friends, then getting about $85,000 in kickbacks from the contracts between 2020 and 2023.
Horton was the district’s superintendent during that time period. He was also accused of misusing his district-issued purchasing card and tax evasion.
Horton pleaded not guilty to those charges.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
About the Author
Cassidy Alexander covers Georgia education issues for the AJC. She previously covered education for The Daytona Beach News-Journal, and was named Florida's Outstanding New Journalist of the Year.
