Wausau Man Makes Initial Appearance on Suspicion of Murder

Wednesday, August 21st, 2024 -- 9:01 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) A Wausau man made an initial court appearance Tuesday on suspicion of felony murder after a weekend incident led to the death of a 53-year-old man.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Thomas Schroeder is being held on a $100,000 cash bond as he faces a felony murder charge along with counts of disorderly conduct, obstructing an officer, and possession of an illegally obtained prescription.

The incident started with a call to the 400 block of Washington Street Sunday evening where they found the victim lying on the road with a head injury. He was identified as Chad Lattimer of Wausau. Lattimer was hospitalized after the incident and the next day.

Officers immediately identified the 43-year-old Schroeder as the suspect. He left the scene as officers started their investigation. They caught up to him a few minutes later and took him into custody following a brief struggle.

Schroeder, who has no fixed address, waived the reading of the charge on Tuesday before his bond was set. He’ll return to court on Friday for a review hearing and on August 28th for a pretrial conference.

Court records show the charges for disorderly conduct and illegally obtained prescription were filed in July. That case has been cross-referenced with the felony murder count.

Felony murder is an unclassified felony count that comes into play when officers believe that the victim died while the suspect was committing another crime. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison on top of whatever penalties may be given for the other crimes.

No further information has been released including what may have led to the argument between Schroeder and Lattimer.

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