JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The wife of a Jacksonville police officer charged with domestic battery told the court that she is afraid for the safety of herself and the couple’s two children after a violent incident earlier this month that she said was just the most recent of many concerning encounters with Michael Schrum.
Schrum was arrested this week on a domestic battery charge, and Sheriff T.K. Waters said he will be fired from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He has already been stripped of his police authority as the investigation continues.
“When a member of this agency violates the law, that person will be held accountable,” Waters said. “There’s no question about it. No one’s above the law.”
RELATED: Sheriff says JSO will seek to fire officer charged with domestic battery
According to a domestic violence injunction petition filed on Sept. 25, Schrum’s wife wants him to be barred from their home and any contact with her, and she wants any visits with their toddler and infant daughters to be supervised.
She also wants him to be required to complete treatment and counseling, and alleges multiple instances of blatant racism.
Schrum’s wife alleges he made derogatory comments about Black people and other nonwhite people in front of their toddler, pointed out people while making racial or appearance-based insults, and used a racial slur during the September assault that led to his domestic battery arrest.
News4JAX asked JSO if the agency is investigating any accusations of racist behavior on the job by Schrum, who worked for JSO for 6 years and 10 months before his arrest. A spokesman responded by providing Schrum’s administrative history, which included only one disciplinary incident for a traffic crash. JSO said the incident surrounding his arrest remains under active investigation.
Domestic battery incident
When Waters announced Schrum’s arrest on Wednesday, he explained that after a complaint was filed, JSO investigators found that on Sept. 16, a woman in a domestic relationship with Schrum was left with visible injuries after he got drunk, became enraged and hit her multiple times.
The injunction petition filed by Schrum’s wife describes the incident in disturbing detail. The allegations have not been adjudicated in court.
According to the petition, Schrum had been drinking liquor on the night of Sept. 15 and went into the bedroom shortly after midnight while his wife and infant were sleeping. She said that he was playing music loudly on his phone and using its bright light, which woke the infant despite his wife’s repeated requests that he stop.
The wife acknowledged that she swatted the phone from Schrum’s hand after he did not stop, which made him angry.
She said she took the infant to the nursery, where she tried to feed and rock the child, but Schrum followed her, continued playing music and lay on top of her while she held the infant in a recliner, the petition said.
The wife alleged that she held her arms up to keep Schrum’s weight from crushing the 2-month-old. She repeatedly asked him to get off and hit him with the baby’s bottle to try to make him move, she said.
She said she prayed out loud that God would protect the baby, and he laughed at her, saying, ”that’s what the n*****s say when I arrest them.”
The wife said that Schrum then grabbed and twisted her arm and wrist and slapped her in the face 10 to 15 times.
She reported bruising and swelling around her eye and face, along with bruises on her arm and on her thigh from where his knees had been pinning her to the recliner. The petition says photographs, audio recordings and videos were preserved as evidence.
The wife also alleged that Schrum punched a hole in the infant’s bedroom door after asking whether the marriage could continue. She later found the infant’s bassinet overturned, according to the filing.
Child safety concerns
The petition also details a broader pattern of alleged violence, intimidation, controlling behavior and neglect of the children, particularly when Schrum has been drinking.
The wife alleged that Schrum sometimes handled their infant daughter roughly, covered her mouth or used a burp cloth to muffle crying, placed her near pillows or on a couch, and held her in ways she considered unsafe.
She also alleged that, on Sept. 15, Schrum agreed to watch the children while she attended a work meeting.
When she returned, she said the infant was lying face-down on pillows with vomit on her face and that an empty beer can was present. The wife said she left the home with both children after returning from work.
The wife said Schrum frequently failed to supervise the children, slept through scheduled childcare, missed appointments, or required her to find last-minute babysitters.
Previous violence reported
In the petition, the wife alleged that Schrum previously struck her while intoxicated, pinned her down, blocked her from leaving, hid or took car keys, locked her out of the home and broke down a bathroom door while she was pregnant.
She also alleged that Schrum grabbed her by the neck in a choking manner in approximately 2023 and threw her against a laundry-room door. The filing describes repeated episodes in which she hid from him after he became intoxicated and woke her during the night.
The wife further alleged that Schrum made threats including, “I don’t need weapons to hurt you,” after she hid firearms because she feared for her safety.
She said Schrum had access to several firearms, including personal and service rifles and revolvers, and that some weapons were not securely stored.
She said that despite the presence of their toddler, he left a firearm in a coffee-table cubby and service weapons or equipment on a kitchen table.
According to the petition, Schrum’s drinking has become a concern to other family members, particularly after a June 2025 family trip when he got drunk and was aggressive and frightening to relatives.
Schrum’s wife also cited a DUI-related incident in Jacksonville Beach.
The petition says she fears further violence because of what she describes as an escalation from verbal and emotional abuse to physical assaults.
Again, Waters said Schrum no longer has police authority and that the agency will pursue his termination.
“This guy does not need to be a police officer anymore,” Waters said. “We’re gonna take care of business when business needs to be taken care of.”
Domestic violence resources
Free, confidential support is available 24/7 through Hubbard House’s Hotline at 904-354-3114 and Text line at 904-210-3698.
If you or someone you know is or has been a victim of domestic violence or abuse, here’s a list of other resources available:
The Florida Domestic Violence Hotline, which will direct you to the nearest shelter, is 1-800-500-1119.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is open 24 hours a day. The number is 1-800-799-SAFE.
The Micah’s Place (Nassau County) Domestic Violence Help Hotline is 904-225-9979.
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