A Waukesha father who police say held his 11-month-old daughter out of a second-story window during a domestic disturbance has avoided prison time and was sentenced instead to three years of probation. Authorities said the child was recovered unharmed, and the father was taken into custody at the scene, a confrontation later detailed in body-worn camera footage and court records, as reported by TMJ4.
What happened
The standoff unfolded on July 18, 2024, after Waukesha police responded to a reported domestic disturbance and learned that an allegedly intoxicated man had his infant daughter in his care. Radio traffic captured a dispatcher telling officers the man was "holding the baby out the window, threatening to drop it," prompting a rapid response to the home.
According to TMJ4, officers broke a chain lock, headed upstairs and recovered the child safely before taking the man into custody in the home.
Body-worn video shows standoff
Body-worn camera footage provided to news partners shows officers in the stairwell speaking to the man while he held the baby at an open second-story window. In the clip, an officer can be heard warning, "Dude, what you're doing right now is child neglect," repeatedly urging him to hand the child over.
The footage was distributed by Midwest Safety and reviewed by reporters via Midwest Safety.
Court outcome
Court records identify the man as 28-year-old Jason Schmidt. The filings show Schmidt entered no-contest pleas in July 2025 to child neglect and battery of an officer, and he was sentenced on Thursday. The judge placed him on three years of supervised probation, according to public records and news reporting.
According to court documents, the child’s mother told officers she had been at work when Schmidt began contacting her and behaving oddly, which led to the welfare concerns that triggered the police response.
Police response and aftermath
Officers reported that several of them were needed to restrain Schmidt after they got him away from the window and out of the home. Records state he pinched one officer's fingers and attempted to bite a taser holster during the struggle.
The child was evaluated and found not to be injured, and she was placed in safe custody while the criminal case moved through the courts. Local officials have not issued any additional public statements beyond what appears in the court file and the body-worn camera footage reviewed by reporters.
