Connect with us

Milwaukee, WI

MPS staffer who got plea deal in slapping case had earlier incident

Published

on

MPS staffer who got plea deal in slapping case had earlier incident


play

Advertisement
  • A former Milwaukee Public Schools paraprofessional received a deferred plea agreement for slapping a special education student.
  • Personnel records show the paraprofessional, Demitrios Visvardis, was accused of slapping another vulnerable student a year earlier.
  • Milwaukee Public Schools did not report the first incident to the police, according to department records.

When family members of a special education student voiced displeasure with a deferred plea agreement for former MPS paraprofessional Demitrios Visvardis in February, they were told it was fair given his lack of prior offenses. 

Visvardis was charged with battery four months earlier in connection with an incident involving Shrone Dunn, 18, of Riverside High School. 

“This ain’t nothing but a slap on the wrist,” Tyrone Dunn, Shrone’s father, said during the plea hearing. “We’re looking for justice.” 

Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski assured Dunn of District Attorney Erin Karshen’s ability to fully prosecute based on what was known. 

But records obtained by the Journal Sentinel through an open records request raise questions about Visvardis’s history, and how much was known before the plea deal was reached. 

Advertisement

Visvardis has no prior criminal record, but documents in his personnel file at Milwaukee Public Schools reference a 2024 accusation that he struck a special education student. 

In a December 2025 letter filed after a disciplinary hearing, MPS hearing officer Natalie Fluker said the November 2025 incident involving Shrone Dunn was “the second time in a year that [Visvardis has] been accused of slapping a vulnerable student.” 

The letter references findings made by hearing officer Gary Johnson during disciplinary proceedings related to the 2024 incident. 

Earlier incident also involved slapping 

According to the December letter, another Riverside High School staff member expressed concern to Principal Jeff Lasky after witnessing Visvardis slap an intellectually disabled student on October 10, 2024. As with the incident involving Dunn, review of security footage confirmed the allegations.  

Advertisement

Visvardis physically kept the student on a vent near an exit on the first floor of the school building despite the student’s multiple attempts to get up, according to the letter. Describing the footage, Johnson wrote, “The student appears to scream and you turn and slap him on the face. You then exit the hallway.”

Visvardis apologized for the incident, stating it was the worst thing he’d ever done.

Milwaukee Public Schools failed to report prior incident

According to the MPS employee handbook, the district generally follows a progressive discipline model that depends on the behavior and frequency of occurrences.  

Johnson found the first incident to be “especially egregious, considering the unnecessary and excessive force” used on Student A and recommended a departure from the progressive discipline model. The departure meant Visvardis would be issued a three-day unpaid suspension and required enrollment in a course in nonviolent crisis intervention. 

Advertisement

The school district did not directly respond to questions from the Journal Sentinel about whether the police were notified of the incident in 2024. It also declined to say whether Student A’s parents were informed or what steps were taken to protect the student following the incident. 

“The safety of our students is our highest priority,” Stephen Davis, a media relations manager at Milwaukee Public Schools, told the Journal Sentinel in an emailed statement. “We cannot discuss the details of any personnel matter, and the current administration would not be able to speak about how a prior case was addressed in 2024.” 

But according to Milwaukee Police Department records, no report associated with Visvardis exists since January 2021 beyond the report on his arrest on November 13, 2025. That’s the day after Riverside cameras captured footage of Visvardis slapping Dunn “with an open hand to the left side of face,” according to police records. 

Review hearing scheduled for this week 

Visvardis is due back in court on Thursday, June 4.  

According to the deferred prosecution agreement obtained by the Journal Sentinel, he will be eligible to seek employment in a “school, group home or any other place of employment where he would interact with other vulnerable people” this month, given successful completion of an anger management treatment program. 

Advertisement

Meanwhile, the Dunn Family has filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Board of School Directors, and Visvardis. 

April Quevedo covers Metcalfe Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: aquevedo@usatodayco.com.

Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Journal Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.

The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association, and EnMotive, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co.



Source link

Advertisement

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee residents react to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s legacy before trade goes through

Published

on

Milwaukee residents react to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s legacy before trade goes through


MILWAUKEE — Fans in Milwaukee are waking up to the news that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded, ending a 13-year run with the Bucks that included a championship in 2021.

The news of the trade broke late last night, and fans have mixed emotions about the move.

Before the trade happened, TMJ4 spoke with fans in Milwaukee about what they wanted to see happen.

Some fans were focused on what the Bucks could get in return.

Advertisement

Alonna Johnson

Screenshot

“If he gets traded, we get like some valuable pieces for him at least. I don’t want Bam Adebayo. I want Tyler Herro because he’s from Milwaukee so you know he’s a hooper they can keep bound,” Khorey said.

Others acknowledged Antetokounmpo’s impact even without following the sport closely.

IMG_1464.jpg

Alonna Johnson

“I’m not a basketball fan myself but I know who Giannis is. And that says someone whose background is theater. We got a championship from him,” Halana said.

Advertisement

A mural created in honor of Antetokounmpo’s achievements on and off the court now stands as a reminder of his legacy in the city.

For those who predicted Antetokounmpo could be traded — they were correct.

IMG_1470.jpg

Alonna Johnson

“I don’t like to see him get traded. I don’t like that. But the franchise is not big enough. Giannis needs to move in another direction,” Scheila said.

Not everyone was ready to accept the change.

Advertisement
IMG_1472.jpg

Alonna Johnson

“Not saying that there’s anything wrong with anybody else, but Giannis is like the Bucks. So I would prefer if he didn’t because it’s just going to be weird. And then it’s like, who can follow in those big old footsteps,” Nariah said.

We’ll continue to bring you updates on the trade on-air and online.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.


Let’s talk:

Advertisement

Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.


It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.


Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee DPW truck ran red light, crashed into vehicle; 2 injured

Published

on

Milwaukee DPW truck ran red light, crashed into vehicle; 2 injured


Scene at 68th and Capitol

A Milwaukee DPW truck ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle on Monday afternoon, June 22.

Crash details

Advertisement

What we know:

According to the Milwaukee Police Department, just before 3 p.m. a DPW truck was heading east on Capitol when it ran a red light at 68th Street and crashed into a sedan that was heading north on 68th.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Advertisement

A passenger in the DPW truck, a 44-year-old, was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-fatal injuries.

The driver and only person in the sedan, a 25-year-old, was also taken to the hospital for treatment of non-fatal injuries.

Advertisement

The driver of the DPW truck was cited for running the red traffic light.

The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department sent FOX6 the information. FOX6 crews also went to the scene.

NewsMilwaukee
Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Mayor Johnson says he’s not aware of FBI interviewing city election officials

Published

on

Milwaukee Mayor Johnson says he’s not aware of FBI interviewing city election officials


Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson says he is unaware of any city election officials, current or former, who have sat for an interview with FBI agents seeking to discuss the 2020 election. 

“I know there’s been outside counsel that has been engaged on this as well, which I’m grateful for, the partnership we’re having with some of the outside counsel there,” Johnson said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “But my understanding as of this moment is no.”

Agents are said to be specifically asking questions related to Milwaukee’s nearly 180,000 absentee ballots and the processing of those ballots at the city’s central count location.

The ballots have yet to be destroyed. The county’s corporation counsel has cited an ongoing lawsuit as the reason for preserving the ballots.

Advertisement

Johnson said he doesn’t know all the details about why the ballots are still there, but he wants the privacy of Milwaukee voters to be protected.

“If there was or is an opportunity to destroy that, to secure the sanctity of the vote for the people in Milwaukee, so that they know that their vote is private and the federal government can’t figure out who folks voted for, I think we should do that,” Johnson said.

Meantime, Don Millis, the Republican chair of the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission, is urging Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to intervene and destroy Milwaukee’s 2020 absentee ballots.

Millis told “UpFront” he had a “very constructive conversation” with Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson and learned there were 265,000 absentee ballots from which it could be determined who voters cast their ballots for, not just for the presidency, but other offices as well.

“No one’s entitled to see those,” Millis said. “Our constitution was built on the idea of a secret ballot, and I’m just frustrated that this hasn’t happened. I just wish the decision makers who are in charge of this would see that and move more quickly.”

Advertisement

Millis added, “Best case scenario would be tomorrow. But I just don’t think that’s going to happen. I think it’s going to probably be weeks or months before that happens.”

Millis said the law permits the ballots to be destroyed.

“No one has a right to see them, and so if there is quote unquote litigation, those are documents that should not be sought to a litigation hold,” Millis said. “And it would seem to me incumbent upon the court to see it that way and give permission for Mr. Christenson to do what he’s authorized and required to do.”

Millis said there has been staff-level discussion with the attorney general’s office.

“I’d be satisfied if he chose to intervene, to take the steps that need to be taken,” Millis said.

Advertisement

Milwaukeean Tyanna Buie is one of 30 artists selected to have work featured in the Obama Presidential Center, which officially opened Friday.

“It still hasn’t set in yet,” Buie told “UpFront.” “It still feels like a dream. I remember when I was first contacted, they never said what the project was.”

Buie recalled that conversation, when she was told “You’re good to go.”

“I said, ‘Who is they? What are we talking about?’ And that’s when they said, ‘Oh, we didn’t tell you. It’s the Obama Presidential Center,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness.”

Buie said her piece is in a room themed “fired up for change.”

Advertisement

“And it was also a space where people can sit, lounge and just take it all in,” she said. “Just the scale of the magnitude of everybody’s work is phenomenal, so I’m grateful to be included, but also super excited for people to see it.”

See more from the show.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending