A carnival worker was arrested on Friday after a drunken fit behind the scenes at the Uintah County Fair. 24-year-old Shannia Shonie of Moab is charged with 3rd Degree Felony Aggravated Assault and Misdemeanor Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, Property Destruction, Damaging a Communication Device, Disorderly Conduct and Intoxication. It’s hard to imagine the events leading to that variety of charges. The Affidavit of Probable Cause breaks it down, stating that police responded to a call of an intoxicated female carnival worker breaking the windows of a trailer. Officers got Shonie to drop the 3-foot metal rod she was using and she was placed in handcuffs and taken to the Uintah County Jail. Major damage was left behind. The outside of a trailer was damaged with a panel ripped off and wires ripped out, a generator was flipped upside down, and automotive paint stripping liquid had been poured into a container with 500 fish in it for carnival games. The fish had already started to die when officers arrived. Other carnival workers were attempting to move as many fish as possible to other containers but those fish were dying as well. Shonie was interviewed at the jail and admitted that she had been drinking Tequila and then causing the damage, including pouring “something” into the fish container. She is scheduled for an initial appearance in 8th District Court today.
