A longtime Zion police officer and her wife, who is a former Lake County sheriff corrections officer, have been arrested on charges following a serious child abuse incident.
Shazay M. Molleda, 40, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, and Brittany L. Molleda, 28, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, were both arrested by the Pleasant Prairie Police Department on Wednesday.
Shazay Molleda was charged with child abuse – high probability of great harm with a party to a crime modifier, strangulation and suffocation, false imprisonment and obstructing an officer, court records show.
Brittany Molleda was charged with child abuse – intentionally causing harm with a party to a crime modifier, child abuse – failing to prevent bodily harm, intimidation of a victim by use or attempted force and obstructing an officer.
Three of the four charges against both of them are felony offenses that carry lengthy prison sentences if convicted.
Shazay Molleda is a police officer with the Zion Police Department and has worked for the agency for 19 years.
Zion Deputy Police Chief Christopher Sweeting told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that they were notified of the investigation and arrest of Molleda on Wednesday.
She was immediately placed on administrative leave and the department said they are fully cooperating with police in Wisconsin.
In a “meet an officer” social media post from June 2023, the Zion Police Department showcased Molleda as a long-serving member of the department.
She is an evidence technician and served with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. She is also a field training officer and was described as being a new mom in the June 2023 post.
Brittany Molleda was previously employed by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office where she worked as a jail receptionist and then a correctional officer, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Brittany Molleda no longer works for the sheriff’s office.
She resigned from the agency in 2022, Covelli added. Brittany Molleda is now self-employed as a photographer, her LinkedIn profile shows.
Shazay Molleda and Brittany Molleda are married. Both remain held in the Kenosha County Jail as of Thursday.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner is working to obtain court documents regarding the details of the charges against the two.