Background: News footage of Jaimann Eiland in court on Aug. 26 (WITI). Inset: Shakira Walters (Milwaukee County Sheriff”s Office).
A Wisconsin man charged with allegedly tossing a 1-year-old girl from a second-floor balcony had his case dropped. The woman who accused him, his stepdaughter, is now facing her own charges.
Jaimann Eiland, 32, was initially charged in March for substantial battery with a domestic abuse modifier and child abuse after allegedly throwing a 1-year-old girl off a balcony. Eiland reportedly informed police that during a “tug-of-war” over the child with the girl’s mother, 25-year-old Shakira Walters, the child accidentally fell. Walters had accused Eiland, her mother’s ex-husband, of holding the girl over the balcony before letting her fall onto the lawn.
However, Eiland’s defense attorney indicated that other family members disputed Walters’ narrative, causing her account to fall apart.
Local Fox affiliate WITI reported from the courtroom on Tuesday when prosecutors dismissed the child abuse charge against Eiland. Assistant District Attorney Thomas Hasle mentioned that the decision came due to “evidentiary limitations” and doubts regarding Walters’ credibility. “While [Walters] alleges the defendant intentionally threw the baby off the porch, multiple other witnesses, including her own family members, present a contradiction to her account,” he stated.
Walters’ credibility was further questioned due to the two child abuse charges she now faces. In April, Walters was accused of abusing her two younger brothers and was subsequently arrested. According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Walters allegedly admitted to hitting her brothers, ages 8 and 10, with a belt.
Police reported Walters saying, “I came in and whooped his butt,” and, “I use the belt for them. It ain’t like, I mean, I picked up a broom stick or something.”
Walters was charged with two counts of child abuse to intentionally cause harm. She was released on a signature bond and is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on Dec. 5.
Eiland pleaded guilty to two lesser, misdemeanor charges — two counts of misdemeanor battery and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to 18 months’ probation with credit for 159 days already served.
