A Nov. 30 hearing will examine Papa Stache as police and prosecutors separately review events preceding the July collision.
BIG BEND, Wis. — A Big Bend bar faces a municipal liquor-license review after police said an 18-year-old was served alcohol there before leaving and later dying in a motorcycle crash in neighboring Muskego.
The village has scheduled a due process hearing for Papa Stache for 6 p.m. Nov. 30, according to the Big Bend village clerk. The proceeding follows a complaint that prompted a review of the bar’s liquor license and operator licenses held by several employees. The municipal process is separate from a criminal investigation now under review by the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.
The licensing case grew out of the July 17 death of Joshua Schladweiler, 18. Muskego police said his motorcycle crossed the center line on Woods Road near Parkland Drive and struck a westbound van at about 11:21 p.m. Schladweiler died at the scene. The van’s 48-year-old driver suffered minor injuries and was treated at a hospital.
Big Bend police said surveillance video from Papa Stache showed Schladweiler drinking beer at the establishment earlier that night. Police said the bartender who served him multiple bottles was his mother, Angela Schladweiler. Investigators said a later test placed Joshua Schladweiler’s blood alcohol concentration at 0.171. No criminal charges have been filed against Angela Schladweiler.
Police referred possible charges of second-degree reckless homicide, criminal recklessness, sale of alcohol to an underage person and sale of alcohol to an intoxicated person. The district attorney’s office is reviewing the referral along with additional information recently submitted by police. A referral is a request for prosecutorial review and does not mean charges will necessarily be filed.
Wisconsin’s underage drinking law adds another layer to the investigation. State law generally bars alcohol sales or service to people younger than 21, but it includes an exception involving an underage person accompanied by a parent, guardian or spouse who has reached the legal drinking age. Courts have previously held that simply being on the same premises does not by itself mean a parent is accompanying an underage drinker under the statute.
The village’s license review does not depend on whether prosecutors ultimately file the criminal charges recommended by police. Local licensing authorities can examine conduct connected to a licensed establishment through their own administrative procedures. Big Bend officials have not announced what action, if any, will result from the Nov. 30 hearing.
Police also said Angela Schladweiler had served alcohol to her son on several earlier occasions and had previously been cited for providing alcohol to underage patrons at Papa Stache. Those statements are part of the police account being considered as the village reviews the establishment. Papa Stache’s owners had not provided a public response to repeated requests for comment reported by FOX6 Milwaukee.
Members of Joshua Schladweiler’s family and Ray Amdahl, the van driver involved in the crash, have called for scrutiny of the bar’s license as well as the criminal investigation. Their requests have increased attention on two separate questions: whether prosecutors believe the evidence supports criminal charges and whether village officials believe licensing action is warranted.
The next publicly identified step is the Nov. 30 due process hearing. Meanwhile, the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office continues to review the police submission, and Big Bend police are seeking information from people who were at Papa Stache on the night of July 17.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 7, 2026.