Geneva police arrested James Schnaitman, 42, of Geneva on charges of domestic battery bodily harm to a family member and violation of order of protection after an incident around 5:05 p.m. Nov. 7 in the 800 block of Valley Lane, reports said.
According to the synopsis sheet, police responded to a report of domestic battery, and when they arrived, they found a woman in the driveway screaming while Schnaitman was standing over her and three small children were on the residence’s front steps screaming that Schnaitman was going to kill their mother.
According to reports from witnesses and the victim, Schnaitman had grabbed the victim from behind and started choking her. The victim broke free and obtained a knife, but Schnaitman grabbed her by the neck again, kicked away the knife, picked it up and held it to her throat, reports.
Police told Schnaitman to step away from the victim, and the victim was transported to Delnor Hospital. The report said Schnaitman “has an order of protection against himself with (the victim) and the children being protected.”
Patch reports on law enforcement activity in Geneva, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify Geneva editor Rick Nagel at rickn@patch.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.
