Child dropped from second-story balcony; Milwaukee man charged

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is accused of intentionally dropping a 1-year-old child from a second-story balcony.

Man charged

What we know:

The accused is 31-year-old Jaimann Eiland. He has been charged with the following:

• Substantial battery (substantial bodily harm with intent to cause bodily harm), domestic abuse – infliction of physical pain or injury
• Physical abuse of child – intentionally cause bodily harm by conduct which creates a high probability of great bodily harm

Case details

The backstory:

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.

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 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 the woman again. She told police this went on for a minute.

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.

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.

Back in court

What’s next:

Eiland appeared in court on Monday, March 17. His bond was set at $15,000 and a no-contact order has been issued. He also must wear an electronic monitoring device if he posts bail and cannot have possession of dangerous weapons or firearms.

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If an electronic monitoring device is unavailable and the cash bail has been paid, it will then go up to $17,000.

If convicted, Eiland is facing approximately 16 years in prison and more than $30,000 in fines. He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing next week.