Man arrested after he attacks workmate with paring knife over snow wages, officials say

Police: 44-year-old mad about being intentionally left out of shoveling wages

MADISON, Wis. — Madison police say a man has been arrested for attacking a business acquaintance who he thought was cheating him out of a day’s wages, according to a police report.

Police said they arrested 44-year-old Andrew Schmitt on reckless endangerment charges in connection with the attack.

According to police, a 50-year-old independent contractor occasionally hires Schmitt to help shovel snow for businesses. But with Tuesday night’s snowfall being light enough for him to handle alone, the contractor called the Schmitt and told him he could stay home, officials said.

The contractor started shoveling the sidewalks outside of a client’s business in the 1300 block of Williamson Street around 6:45 a.m. and saw Schmitt walking toward him, according to the release. The contractor told police Schmitt looked angry.

When Schmitt reached the contractor he pushed him into a snowbank, brandished a small paring knife and cut the contractor’s face, police said. According to police, Schmitt believed he had been intentionally left out of the shoveling wages. Police said Schmitt also hit the contractor a couple of times with a plastic snow shovel.

Schmitt told police the victim owes him money for past shoveling jobs, and that he was the one attacked, and that he acted in self-defense.

The contractor suffered superficial lacerations and did not need to be treated at a hospital, according to the release.

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