A 33-year-old Waukesha woman is facing two separate felony child abuse charges after police say she punched teenage girls during fights that broke out near the city's popular Friday Night Live festival, weeks apart this summer. Cortrice L. Henard was charged with one count of child abuse causing bodily harm in each case, both now pending in Waukesha County Circuit Court.
According to The Freeman, the first incident happened at Cutler Park on July 24, when a 15-year-old girl said Henard pulled her from behind, knocked her to the ground, and punched her repeatedly. Internet video reviewed in the case reportedly showed Henard grabbing the girl's hair and punching her two or three times as she fell, then striking her several more times once she was down. A witness told investigators they saw Henard repeatedly hit the girl, who suffered a headache and scraped kneecaps and reported the incident to police the next day, on July 25.
The girl told police she had gone to Cutler Park because a friend planned to fight another girl there, and the altercation unfolded while Friday Night Live — downtown Waukesha's weekly outdoor concert series — was underway nearby. The festival, organized by the Waukesha Downtown Business Association, runs every Friday from June through August across multiple stages from 6:30 to 9 p.m., drawing thousands of visitors downtown each week. Cutler Park itself, at 301 Wisconsin Avenue, houses the Les Paul Performance Center and regularly serves as a gathering spot for community events, including outdoor movies and summer concerts.
Police Say Fight Fell Just Outside Festival Perimeter
Waukesha Police Capt. Joseph Hendricks clarified in late July that the July 24 fight technically occurred at Cutler Park rather than inside the official Friday Night Live footprint, though those involved had been attending the event beforehand, per reporting cited in the dossier. Officers arrested Henard following the incident. Four juveniles were also taken into custody in connection with the melee — three girls on disorderly conduct charges and one boy on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting.
The fallout from that fight came amid a broader crackdown Waukesha police announced in late July, stepping up enforcement and coordinating with prosecutors to address repeat juvenile offenders disrupting downtown events. It wasn't the city's first brush with festival-adjacent violence — in May 2023, a fight that began at Waukesha Springs Park and spilled downtown led to nine arrests, including three adults charged with child abuse after intervening in altercations involving teens, a pattern documented by Patch.
Second Altercation Erupts Near Main and Broadway
Three weeks later, on August 14, a second incident unfolded at Main Street and Broadway as a 15-year-old girl was leaving Friday Night Live. That girl reportedly got into an argument with another 15-year-old over rumors, and Henard allegedly punched her in the mouth, leaving her in pain and bleeding from the lip. Surveillance video reviewed by investigators showed Henard striking the girl during that confrontation. The girl who was punched told police she had not hit anyone during the altercation.
Henard was charged in both cases under Wisconsin Statute § 948.03(2)(b), which classifies intentional physical abuse of a child causing bodily harm as a Class H felony. Under § 939.50(3)(h), each count carries a maximum penalty of up to six years in state prison and a $10,000 fine — meaning Henard faces up to 12 years combined if convicted on both counts, though Class H felonies carry no mandatory minimum sentence.
Release Conditions and Upcoming Court Date
Henard signed a $2,000 signature bond in each case and was released, subject to no-contact conditions with victims and witnesses in both incidents. A signature bond lets a defendant avoid posting cash upfront, but it functions as a binding legal contract with the court — violating conditions like a no-contact order can trigger additional felony bail-jumping charges under Wis. Stat. § 946.49, according to legal guidance from Grieve Law.
She is currently awaiting appointment of a public defender, a process that requires completing a financial eligibility screening through the local State Public Defender office before counsel is formally assigned, per Waukesha County circuit court procedures. Henard is scheduled to return to court on September 17. It remains unclear whether Henard was acting in defense of a relative or acquaintance during either fight, and prosecutors have not indicated whether additional juvenile or adult charges could stem from either incident.
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