New details reveal that a Zion police officer allegedly choked a child until she was “barely breathing” as her wife, who is a former Lake County sheriff corrections officer, beat the child repeatedly.
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.
According to lengthy criminal complaints filed in court and obtained by Lake and McHenry County Scanner, the Pleasant Prairie Police Department responded on September 7 to the residence of Shazay Molleda and Brittany Molleda, who are married, in the 1000 block of 93rd Street for a disturbance involving a 10-year-old child.
Officers spoke with Brittany, who is the girl’s mother. She called to report that her child was experiencing a mental health episode and had been physical with Brittany.
The complaint said Brittany claimed the 10-year-old kicked at her, cursed at her, threw things around the house and struck her twice.
Brittany and Shazay told officers they physically intervened to try and calm her down. They asked for the police to speak to the girl and “scare” her of the consequences of her actions as she gets older, the complaint said.
Officers noted multiple red marks and scratches on both sides of the girl’s neck; red marks and abrasions on the backside of her left shoulder; abrasions to her mid-back; red marks, abrasions and scratches on the back side of her right shoulder; abrasions under her left armpit; abrasions on her left hip area; a red mark on the right side of her rib/hip area; a red mark/abrasion on rear side of right bicep area; and a red mark under her left eye.
The girl was later interviewed away from Shazay and Brittany and told officers that Brittany struck her multiple times on the arms and legs with a spatula, contradicting what the two told officers, the complaint said.
The 10-year-old said she wanted to go outside to play but was wearing the wrong shoes and an argument began.
The complaint said Brittany attempted to pick up the child but the girl braced herself, at which time Brittany told Shazay to get a spatula.
Brittany struck the child approximately six times on her legs and arms, the complaint said. Shazay then allegedly attempted to restrain her and tried to lift her by her armpits and by her head.
Shazay also used her fingers and pushed them into the girl’s neck and jawline, which caused her to choke and left her “barely breathing” with blurry vision, the complaint said.
Brittany yelled at the victim to go sit on the couch after Shazay stopped choking her, the complaint said.
The child was still on the ground coughing when Brittany got down on the ground and allegedly placed a knee on the girl’s chest, the complaint said, adding that the victim could barely talk and the knee on her chest hurt her badly.
The child then went to the couch and began crying, which is when Brittany called her things like “crazy, selfish and entitled.”
The girl said she never intentionally hit Shazay or Brittany but was trying to stop them from hurting her, the complaint said.
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 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.
Both have since been released from the Kenosha County Jail after posting a $7,500 cash bond.
They are both scheduled to appear in court again on November 25 for a preliminary hearing.