Genesee man will face trial in domestic abuse incident

Posted: Nov. 14, 2012

The man accused of slicing his wife's face open and striking a police dog during an hours-long standoff last summer will go to trial in December.

Ronald A. Sallmann, 61, of Genesee was charged July 27 with first-degree reckless injury, striking a police animal and resisting an officer after a domestic disturbance that day ended in a 2-and-a-half-hour standoff with the Waukesha Sheriff's Department Tactical Unit.

He was in court on Oct. 22, where Judge Kathryn Foster ordered a 12-person trial scheduled to begin on Dec. 11. A jury status hearing was set for Dec. 6.

Sallmann's wife suffered a 6- to 7-inch laceration along the bottom of her jawline nearly all the way up to her left ear, after he allegedly slashed her with a knife during the July incident. The couple had been in an argument the night before about Sallmann's use of pain medication and alcohol abuse, according to the criminal complaint, and when Sallmann's wife returned home July 27, Sallmann was banging on the wall of his bedroom with his fists. The complaint said his wife decided she would try to pack some things and quietly sneak out of the house, because he was "in one of his moods."

She told a deputy that she attempted to tape Sallmann on her cellphone to show him later how he was acting - a move that enraged Sallmann, who responded by taking the cell phone and throwing it. His wife fled to a bathroom and attempted to close the door, but Sallmann chased her, grabbed her hand and began bending her fingers back and striking her on the top of the head, the complaint said. She eventually got around him and ran to the bedroom where she slammed the door and used her weight to keep Sallmann out, she told police.

She later made an attempt to escape by running to the front door; brandishing a knife, Sallmann followed, and grabbed her when she reached the garage, according to the complaint. At that point, he allegedly struck her with the knife. She was able to escape after pushing him away and running to her neighbor's house, then going to the hospital.

The Sheriff's Department sent a canine unit to Sallmann's home at S36 W33325 Honeysuckle Drive. Deputies first arrived at the home shortly after 7:30 p.m., and Sallmann refused to leave his home. Deputies set up a perimeter around his house and called in their tactical unit. According to a news release from the Sheriff's Department, Sallmann became more and more uncooperative as time went on, and he eventually told officers he would not be leaving the house.

The criminal complaint stated that at 1:30 a.m. July 26, Sallmann was in the kitchen area, while law enforcement waited in the garage, which had an open door that led to the kitchen. The Sheriff's Department released its canine unit, which gained control of Sallmann by the left leg and thigh. Sallmann was allegedly punching the dog in the head, but the dog would not let go. Tactical officers deployed a Taser on Sallmann as he continued to resist, and the standoff ended.

As a result, Sallmann was charged with first-degree reckless injury, striking a police animal and resisting an officer. The reckless injury charge is a felony that carries a maximum penalty of up to a $100,000 fine and 25 years in prison. The other two charges, both misdemeanors, could lead to another $20,000 in fines and up to 18 months imprisonment.