On the evening of October 23, 2004, Frank Jude, who is bi-racial, performed as ahe and his friend, Lovell Harris, who is black, were invited by Kirsten Antonissen and Katie Brown to a housewarming party being hosted by police officer Andrew Spengler at his
Bay View, Milwaukee home. Many of the persons at the party were off-duty Milwaukee police officers and nearly all were white.
Upon arriving at Andrew Spengler’s home, Jude and Harris told Antonissen that they felt uncomfortable and therefore wanted to leave. The group quickly left and shortly after doing so, Andrew Spengler reported that his wallet, which contained his police badge, was missing. At least ten men who were at Spengler’s home went outside and confronted Jude, Harris, Antonissen, and Brown.
[2] Among the off-duty officers who confronted the group were Andrew Spengler, Jon Bartlett, Daniel Masarik, Ryan Packard, Ryan Lemke, Jon Clausing, and Joseph Stromei.
The off-duty officers identified themselves as police officers and focused their attention upon Jude and Harris, demanding to know where the badge was. Both men denied taking the badge. When Jude and the others stayed inside Antonessen's truck, the mob threatened them, saying "Nigger, we can kill you."
[2]
During this confrontation, Ryan Packard took Jude to the ground, where other off-duty officers held him down and searched him for the badge. The off-duty officers demanded that Jude tell them where the badge was and while doing so repeatedly punched and kicked him. Another officer, Jon Clausing, cut Harris's face with a knife; Harris freed himself and ran away.
[2]
Kirsten Antonissen called
9-1-1 and reported that people who were claiming to be police officers were beating up her friend. While talking to the 9-1-1 dispatcher, Antonissen reported that a uniformed officer had responded to the scene and that he too began beating Frank Jude. This on-duty officer, Joseph Schabel, arrived at the scene and upon learning that Jude was suspected of stealing a police badge, repeatedly stomped on the suspect’s head until others could hear bones breaking, while his partner, Nicole Martinez, watched.
[2] Other officers grabbed the phone from Antonissen and threw her against the truck, denting it.
[2] Brown also made two phone calls to 9-1-1 before her phone was seized.
[2]
Apologizing to Martinez, Masarik lifted Jude off the ground and kicked him in the crotch. Then Bartlett took Schabel’s pen and shoved it into both of Jude’s ear canals, causing Jude to scream and squirm as if in extreme pain and resulting in significant injury. The mob broke two of Jude's fingers by bending them back until they snapped.
[2] Spengler put a gun to Jude's head and threatened to kill him. Additionally, during this incident, Bartlett used a knife to cut off Jude's leather jacket and pants, leaving him naked in the street.
[2]
Frank Jude was initially arrested on suspicion of theft and quickly loaded into a police van and transported to the hospital for treatment of his numerous injuries. The admitting physician took photographs because there were so many injuries to document.
[2] The injury to Jude's ears was so severe that emergency room physicians could not diagnose it immediately because they could not control the bleeding.
[2]
No one was ever charged with the theft of the badge and the badge was never found.
[2]
