'Less than cooperative:' Milwaukee woman accused of spitting at, biting UWM officers

Asia Butler

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee woman is accused of spitting at and biting officers from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee  during an incident on Sunday, March 3. The accused is Asia Butler, 26, who now faces the following criminal charges:

Bus incident near UWM campus

According to the criminal complaint, UWM officers were called to a Milwaukee County Transit System bus that was stopped at Maryland and Kenwood for trouble with a subject. Once on the scene, officers learned Butler had been on the bus and "continually pulled the cord to indicate a need for the driver to stop at the next bus stop, but Butler never actually got off the bus and continued in this behavior." When the operator of the bus told Butler to get off the bus, she refused.

The complaint says one officer boarded the bus and "asked her to leave the bus and Butler did so. As Butler walked past the operator's glass enclosed booth, however, she spit at the operator."

Bus incident near UWM campus

Police questioned Butler outside of the bus to see what as the matter. But the complaint indicates "she was less than cooperative." When officers asked for her name, she refused. Eventually officers placed her in custody.

The complaint says shortly after being handcuffed, another officer tried to search Butler. The complaint says "Butler tensed up and became more uncooperative. Officers asked her to stop resisting and eventually had to bring her down to the ground." During this incident, the complaint says Butler spit at an officer. The officers then placed a spit mask on Butler.

Bus incident near UWM campus

During a struggle to get Butler into the back of a squad, one of the officers noticed the keys to the squad had fallen out of her pocket -- and were in the back of the squad with Butler "who was kicking a the doors." When another officer tried to enter the rear of the squad and get the keys, the complaint says Butler "bit down on the palm and pinky area of (the officer's) left hand."

Sophia

The behavior is disturbing to frequent riders.

"It's wrong," said Sophia, an MCTS passenger. "That's very wrong behavior. It sounds like this woman might have been taking out her own anger on a public servant."

Butler was due to make her initial appearance in court on Friday, March 8.