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Milwaukee judge sentences 15-year-old to 10 years in robbery case tied to child’s abduction

Barry Coleman was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of extended supervision for robbery with force. The kidnapping charge was dropped under a revised plea agreement after a 7-year-old boy was abducted from his Milwaukee yard and held for about 24 hours in 2025.

Milwaukee judge sentences 15-year-old to 10 years in robbery case tied to child’s abduction
MILWAUKEE — A 15-year-old boy was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison and five years of extended supervision for his role in a robbery plot that led to the abduction of a 7-year-old from his Milwaukee front yard in 2025. Barry Coleman’s sentence is for robbery with the use of force, not kidnapping. The kidnapping charge was dropped as part of a revised plea agreement reached in May. Coleman spoke in court, apologized and said he took responsibility. Jamal White was taken at gunpoint from near 61st and Hustis streets and held for about 24 hours before Milwaukee police rescued him. The incident prompted an Amber Alert and, investigators said, grew out of a robbery scheme that escalated into a plan to demand money from the child’s family. Prosecutors alleged video showed Coleman grabbing White and pulling him into a vehicle. A criminal complaint also said Coleman discussed whether to physically harm the child to demonstrate that the kidnappers were serious. Coleman had initially faced charges including kidnapping, taking hostages and firearm possession by a juvenile delinquent. An earlier plea deal was rejected by a judge; the revised agreement resulted in the kidnapping charge being dismissed, leaving robbery with force as the most serious remaining offense. The original agreement would have reduced Coleman’s potential prison exposure from as much as 90 years to 10 years.

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