N. Chicago man captured after abduction of Zion children

A North Chicago man accused of abducting his two children early Thursday morning, triggering an Amber Alert, was captured and is in jail, the Lake County state's attorney's office said.

Dejavonte D. Finley, 23, of the 1700 block of 20th Street, is being held on $1 million bail on various felony charges that include aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery, aggravated domestic battery, harassment of a witness, armed violence and unlawful restraint.

A warrant for Finley's arrest had been issued yesterday after the children's mother, a Zion resident, reported that Finley forced his way into her residence early Thursday morning, according to Zion police. The mother told police he hit, kicked, choked and burned her in an effort to force her to go to the Lake County public defender's office to recant her two previous domestic battery cases against him, police said.

While she was in the public defender's office in Waukegan, Finley remained in the car with the couple's 3- and 4-year-old children, police said.

The mother asked someone at the office to call the Waukegan police to report Thursday morning's battery, but before police arrived Finley had driven off with the children in the car, police said.

Zion and Waukegan police activated an Amber Alert for the two children based on what they called Finley's violent past, but it was soon canceled when officials found the children were safely dropped off at a DCFS location by one of Finley's relatives..

Finley is scheduled to appear in Lake County court at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19.