Investigators say the 18-year-old drank at a Big Bend bar where his mother was working before the July collision.
BIG BEND, Wis. — Police have referred several possible criminal charges involving a mother who investigators say served alcohol to her 18-year-old son at a Big Bend bar before he died in a motorcycle crash hours later in Muskego.
Big Bend police referred possible charges including second-degree reckless homicide, criminal recklessness, sale of alcohol to an underage person and sale of alcohol to an intoxicated person against Angela Schladweiler. The Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office has not filed criminal charges, and prosecutors are reviewing additional material recently provided by police. The referral does not amount to a formal charge or a finding of guilt.
The investigation stems from the July 17 death of Joshua Schladweiler, 18. Muskego police said first responders were called about 11:21 p.m. to Woods Road near Parkland Drive after a motorcycle and van collided. A preliminary investigation found that the motorcycle was traveling east when it crossed the center line and struck the westbound van. Schladweiler was pronounced dead at the scene. The 48-year-old van driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Investigators later focused on the hours before the crash. Big Bend police said surveillance video from Papa Stache showed Joshua Schladweiler drinking beer at the bar while his mother was working as a bartender. Police said she served him multiple bottles of beer. Investigators said his blood alcohol concentration was later determined to be 0.171. Witnesses also reported the motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed before the collision.
The case presents an unusual legal question because Wisconsin law allows some alcohol possession and consumption by people younger than 21 when they are accompanied by a parent, guardian or spouse who is of legal drinking age. State law generally prohibits furnishing alcohol to an underage person who is not accompanied by one of those adults. Wisconsin case law also indicates that merely being somewhere on the same premises does not necessarily establish that a parent is accompanying an underage drinker for purposes of the law.
That distinction could become important as prosecutors review the circumstances inside the bar, including the surveillance video and how closely Angela Schladweiler was accompanying her son while he drank. Police have not announced that prosecutors accepted any of the referred offenses, and the district attorney’s review remains pending.
The crash itself was reported in July before the later allegations about alcohol service became public. Muskego police initially said the motorcycle crossed the center line before striking the van. In the days after the collision, residents described hearing a motorcycle traveling at high speed, and police radio traffic cited by local media indicated authorities had received a reckless-driving complaint shortly before the crash.
Joshua Schladweiler’s father, Brian Schladweiler, and aunt, Melissa Weinberger, are now calling for criminal accountability. The driver of the van, Ray Amdahl, has also asked authorities to conduct a full review of the circumstances leading to the collision. Their requests do not determine whether charges will be filed; that decision rests with prosecutors after they assess the evidence and applicable law.
Big Bend police said they recently provided additional information to the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities are also seeking statements from anyone who was at Papa Stache on the night of the crash. As of Nov. 7, prosecutors had not announced a charging decision.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 7, 2026.