Blackfoot woman arrested after reportedly driving drunk with a child present after threatening man with knife
Published at | Updated at
BLACKFOOT – A Blackfoot woman was arrested and charged with multiple felonies after she reportedly threatened to stab a man, then drove away under the influence with a child in the car.
Shannon Renee Jones, 48, was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony enhancement for use of a deadly weapon, misdemeanor DUI, and misdemeanor injury to a child when an adult is transporting a minor in a vehicle while under the influence.
On April 5, around 7:51 p.m., a deputy with the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office was on patrol when a call came in reporting domestic violence, according to court documents.
The caller said an intoxicated woman had left a home with a child in a white Chevrolet Silverado.
Two deputies reportedly saw the truck drive past them, traveling south near mile 99 on Interstate 15. The deputy turned around and initiated a traffic stop near the top of an exit.
After asking the driver to get out of the truck, they identified the woman as Jones. Deputies noticed the woman’s hand was bleeding, so EMS was called.
Jones was taken toward the back of the truck, and one of the deputies went to check on the child.
The child was reportedly crying in the back driver’s side seat. When asked if he was okay, the child told the deputy he was scared.
Police reports say Jones told a deputy that a man who lives with her had “locked her out of the house,” so she hit the window with her hand, and it broke, cutting her hand in multiple places.
Deputies say Jones smelled like alcohol, her eyes were red, and she was “crying very hard.” After wrapping her hand in gauze, deputies asked Jones how much she had been drinking.
Jones responded she had “a cup full and then filled another cup with whiskey about two hours ago.”
She then agreed to do a DUI standard sobriety test, but due to her “very high emotions,” she was not able to complete it.
According to court documents, Jones provided a breath sample, showing her blood alcohol content at .091 the first time and .093 the second time. The legal limit is .08.
Deputies then learned about a video showing Jones “in the garage with a knife.” According to court documents, the man who lives with her was “in fear for his life and wanted to press charges.”
When asked about the video, Jones reportedly stated, “she was protecting herself because last week (the man) grabbed her face and pushed her into a wall.”
Jones told the deputy the man can be “very violent.”
The deputy read Jones her Miranda rights and asked for her side of the story. Jones continued, saying the two got into an argument over dogs pooping in the house.
The man reportedly went inside the home and locked Jones out, so she hit the window with her right hand and broke it to reach in and unlock the door.
Jones says she then grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen. After that, deputies say, “her story kept changing at this point.”
Jones was then transported to the hospital to receive care for her hand, during which time deputies say she repeatedly claimed she “was defending herself because she was very scared of (the man).”
Jones was then booked into the Bingham County Jail on a bond of $10,000. She later posted bail and was released.
She is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing. If convicted, she could face up to 30 years and six months in prison.
Though Jones has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.