Milwaukee police officer charged with child abuse, including strangulation and suffocation

Updated: 2:23 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2023

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- In court on Tuesday, Jan. 23, Frank Williams' bond was set at $5,000. He'd due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 5. 

Published: 2:09 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2024

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Frank Williams, a 30-year-old Milwaukee Police Department officer, is being charged with child abuse.

Williams is charged with one count of physical abuse of a child, and one count of strangulation and suffocation. 

According to police, he was placed on full suspension. 

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, a Milwaukee police sergeant responded to the emergency room of Children's Wisconsin in response to a child abuse complaint. The 7-year-old female, a relative of Williams, disclosed that he "whooped" her with a belt, resulting in bruising in her thigh. The sergeant observed seven to eight distinct bruises on the child's thigh, according to the complaint. 

In interviews on Thursday, Jan. 18 at the Racine Child Advocacy Center, the 7-year-old said he hit her with a belt multiple times and then choked her because she wouldn't take a nap. She said she was coughing because she could not breathe. She reported that this was not the first time he choked her.

The 7-year-old said she had bruises on her legs and arms from being struck by Williams during the interviews. She rolled up her sleeve to show a long bruise on her forearm, according to the complaint.  The 7-year-old also said that William's struck her 4-year-old brother. She said she could hear her brother crying, as Williams struck him repeatedly with a belt. 

If convicted, Williams may be fined up to $10,000, imprisoned for up to 6 years, or both.