Glendale police standoff; woman uses child as human shield, complaint says

article

Romesha Allen

GLENDALE, Wis. - A Milwaukee woman has been charged with child neglect after prosecutors say she used a one-year-old child as a human shield when confronted by police.

29-year-old Romesha Allen is charged with the following from the Jan. 30 incident:

• Resisting or Obstructing an Officer
• Neglecting a Child (No Harm and Child Under 6 Years of Age or Disability)
• Neglecting a Child (Specified Harm Did Not Occur)

Incident details

What we know:

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According to the criminal complaint, on Thursday, Jan. 30, Glendale Police officers were notified of a stolen Hyundai Elantra heading north on Port Washington Road near Hampton Ave.

Just after 4 p.m., an officer saw the vehicle and turned on his sirens and lights and started pursuing the vehicle. Other officers set up stop sticks in the roadway.

Officers prepared for a high risk stop. Officers ordered the driver, identified as the defendant, Romesha Allen, to put her hands out of the window. She was told to do this multiple times before she opened the door, turned her body, and put her legs out of the door. She then peaked her head out of the car and began screaming at officers, per the complaint.

The complaint goes to say that she was ordered out of the car several more times but refused, instead screaming at officers. Officers told her she was driving a stolen vehicle. Eventually, she did get out of the vehicle and repeatedly kept reaching back into the vehicle and moving things around and reaching for things. Officers repeatedly told her not to reach into the vehicle and to walk backwards towards them, per the complaint.

Allen kept telling officers she had her children with her and the officers told her to walk backwards towards them and officers would tend to her children. Allen kept screaming at officers and got back in the vehicle and shut the door. Officers saw her reaching around the inside of the vehicle while they continued to give commands for her to get out and stop reaching around.

After about nine minutes, officers deployed pepper balls into the vehicle.

At this point, according to the complaint, Allen got out of the vehicle with a one-year-old child, using that child as a human shield towards the officers and running at the officers. Allen then threw her phone at the ground and charged at the officers, screaming and cursing at them.

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An 11-year-old child also got out of the vehicle, crying. Both children were visibly upset, per the complaint.

The complaint goes on to say that a search of the vehicle revealed a pistol that was unsecured in a diaper bag in the middle seat within reach of the children and Allen. Officers also found a baggie containing a green leafy plant-like substance.

The vehicle was confirmed stolen from Enterprise.

Court proceedings

What's next:

Romesha Allen had her initial appearance in court on Feb. 3. A signature bond was set at $3,000.

She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 20.