Devon Horton, who led Evanston/Skokie School District 65 for three years before leaving for a Georgia superintendent job in 2023, now faces a felony aggravated assault charge and two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to children after a DeKalb County grand jury returned an indictment filed Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The indictment, filed in DeKalb County Superior Court, alleges Horton strangled his wife, Christiane Horton, by applying pressure to her throat and neck with his hands during a domestic incident on Jan. 17. The two child-cruelty counts allege the assault occurred in the presence of the couple's two minor children, with Horton's knowledge.

DeKalb County Police arrested Horton on Jan. 17 and booked him into the county jail. A department spokesperson said at the time that "officers determined that a verbal dispute between Mr. Devon Horton and his wife turned physical," according to the Evanston RoundTable. Horton posted a $25,000 bond two days later, with a condition barring in-person contact with his wife.

According to Decaturish, two children ages 3 and 5 could be heard in the background of the 911 call, and the 5-year-old told police he saw Horton put his hand around his wife's neck and push her toward a wall.

Horton's attorney in the Georgia case, Alasia Dalton, did not respond to a request for comment from the RoundTable before its Tuesday publication. His attorney in a separate federal case, Terence Campbell, called the January incident "a private matter between husband and wife" after Horton's arrest, according to Fox 5 Atlanta, stating that Horton's wife supports him, does not wish to pursue charges and that the children were not involved in the dispute.

Horton is scheduled for arraignment in DeKalb County Superior Court on Sept. 2, where he will enter a plea.

Evanston ties and prior federal charges

Horton served as District 65 superintendent from June 2020 through June 2023. He broke his contract to take the DeKalb County Schools job in April 2023, owing District 65 $25,000 under a payment plan he almost immediately defaulted on, according to the Evanston RoundTable.

The Georgia domestic case adds a second simultaneous criminal proceeding. In October 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois indicted him and three others on 17 federal charges of wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion tied to an alleged kickback scheme during his District 65 tenure. That indictment called for forfeiture of $293,500 by all four defendants, plus an additional $30,845.77 from Horton individually. He pleaded not guilty. He resigned from DeKalb County Schools that same month.

A trial in the federal case is expected to begin Oct. 21 and last approximately two and a half weeks.

No statement from District 65 specifically addressing the Georgia indictment has been published. The district is currently led by Interim Superintendent Dr. Eric Witherspoon, who took over July 1 while the board conducts a permanent superintendent search.