Teen Faces Felony Charges In Severe Beating Of Middle School Student

KANE COUNTY, IL — A 14-year-old boy who now faces felony charges in the severe beating of a Kenyon Woods Middle School student made an initial court appearance on Tuesday in Kane County.

The teen appeared with his parents in the juvenile courtroom of Kane County Judge Clint Hull, who ordered he be placed on electronic home monitoring and assigned him a public defender, according to the Daily Herald.

The 14-year-old is charged with felony aggravated battery charges and misdemeanor battery charges, according to NBC Chicago. As part of the teen’s house arrest, he will only be able to go to school and then return home.

The teen is accused of slamming Henry Sembdner, 12, head-first into the ground in the hallway at Kenyon Woods on Feb. 3 after Sembdner bumped into him, according to media reports. Sembdner suffered brain and skull injuries and was placed in a medically induced coma in the days following the beating. Sembdner is now at home recovering.

The 14-year-old boy is no longer attending Kenyon Woods, the Elgin Courier-News reports. The boy’s parents did not comment as they left the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center and told TV cameras to “stay over there.”

Sembdner has seen an outpouring of community and nationwide support following the attack. Most notably, perhaps, was an offer made by Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo to provide Sembdner, a huge Cubs fan, with free tickets to a game and batting passes once he is feeling better.

• Cubs' Anthony Rizzo Shows Support for Boy Badly Beaten in Middle School Attack
  

Two GoFundMe pages have been set up to help pay for medical expenses the local family has been slammed with following the “senseless act of violence.” Combined, the two online fundraising sites have raised more than $48,000.

Meanwhile, Sembdner’s family filed a petition in Kane County Circuit Court last week looking for records that help explain what transpired during the Feb. 3 attack at Kenyon Woods Middle School, including information on a time gap between when the attack happened and when 911 was called, the Elgin Courier-News reports.

The family’s attorney, Lance Northcutt, told the newspaper the time gap is believed to be between 25 minutes and 1 hours.

• Family of Middle School Attack Victim Questions Time School Took to Call 911
  
• South Elgin Boy, 12, Recovering After Being Severely Injured In School Hallway Attack

Photo caption: Henry Sembdner/Photo credit: GoFundMe