Child dropped from second-story balcony; Milwaukee man pleads not guilty

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man accused of intentionally dropping a 1-year-old child from a second-story balcony pleaded not guilty on Monday, March 24 to the charges against him. 

31-year-old Jaimann Eiland entered the pleas after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing – and the judge bound him over for trial.

Accused of abuse of child

What we know:

Eiland has been charged with the following:

• Substantial battery (substantial bodily harm with intent to cause bodily harm)
• Physical abuse of child - intentionally cause bodily harm by conduct which creates a high probability of great bodily harm

According to the Milwaukee Police Department, the incident occurred around 5 p.m. in the area of 41st Street and Courtland Avenue on Thursday, March 13.

Per the criminal complaint, officers responded to Froedtert Hospital to investigate the child abuse complaint and met with a woman who stated that she and her 1-year-old daughter were assaulted by her mother’s husband, identified as Eiland.

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Child dropped from second-story porch during domestic dispute

Milwaukee police say a one-year-old child was intentionally dropped from a second-story porch during a domestic violence dispute on Thursday, March 13.

The child’s mother said she heard her baby crying and asked Eiland what happened, which turned into an argument between the two. It escalated to a point where Eiland allegedly grabbed a knife and threatened to kill her, saying, "You gone die today."

According to the criminal complaint, the woman tried to tell Eiland to calm down and he picked up the 1-year-old and carried her to the second-story porch outside. He then allegedly lifted her in the air by her neck, dangling her as the mother tried to take the child back.

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Prosecutors said Eiland then "intentionally threw" the 1-year-old off the balcony onto the ground below, then began hitting and kicking the woman again. She told police this went on for a minute. Officers asked the woman to demonstrate how Eiland threw the 1-year-old, and she held a container of bleach wipe with both hands close to her chest and quickly extended her arms straight out as she released the wipes.

Eiland’s mother, who was in the residence at the time, went downstairs to get the child, and allegedly told the woman she had instigated the whole incident. Eiland left the home on foot and the woman called 911. A large knife was located on the floor by officers and droplets of blood were located on the balcony and in the bathroom.

Dig deeper:

According to the complaint, the 1-year-old was taken to Children’s Wisconsin. While she had physical injuries and bruises, she did not sustain any cranial or skeletal fractures.

Prosecutors said the woman had a sprained finger, and she received three stitches on her forehead. She also had swelling to the top of her left hand and pain in her right leg. Her shirt was covered in blood.

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Eiland walked to MPD - District 7, where an in-custody interview was conducted. Officers noticed swollen knuckles with small cuts on Eiland's hands. He told police the fight was mutual. He told officers they were "doing a ‘tug of war’ over" the 1-year-old when she fell off the balcony. He allegedly told police when the child fell, he knew the fight had gone too far. He also stated that he doesn’t think he went overboard during this incident.

What's next:

Eiland is due back in court on April 17.