Vernal woman accused of hitting officer booked on suspicion of 20 potential charges

VERNAL — A Vernal woman is in jail accused of hitting a police officer with her SUV, hitting another police vehicle, hitting a parked car that her ex-husband was hiding behind and leading officers on a chase while going 100 mph.

Additional details of Tuesday night’s confrontation involving Shiloh Dawn Virginia Wyasket, who turned 34 on Wednesday, have been released in a police booking affidavit.

Vernal police were called to a “domestic disturbance” at 153 E. 600 North about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday. Wyasket’s ex-husband told officers they were having dinner and consuming alcohol when Wyasket became upset after something he said, the affidavit states.

Wyasket poured a bottle of alcohol over her ex-husband’s head, and he then walked outside the residence to remove himself from the situation, the affidavit says.

“He then noted Shiloh attempting to light something on fire,” while showing police a burnt piece of paper, according to the affidavit. “(He) stated he did not know if Shiloh was attempting to light him or the house on fire.”

While hiding outside, Wyasket also smashed a TV inside the residence, police said.

The first arriving officers saw Wyasket get into her Dodge Durango. An officer pulled in front of the SUV with his patrol car in an attempt to block her.

“Shiloh then put the vehicle in gear and turned hard into the parked vehicle to the right of her vehicle. Shiloh struck the parked vehicle and moved it several feet. (Her ex-husband) had been hiding behind the vehicle Shiloh struck and was thrown to the ground when the vehicle was struck,” according to the arrest report.

As an officer approached the driver’s side window to order Wyasket to stop, “Shiloh then turned hard to the left, striking me with the driver’s side of her vehicle. (Another officer) was behind me, exiting his patrol car as he arrived on scene. Shiloh accelerated toward (the officer), who jumped back into his patrol vehicle and narrowly avoided being struck by Shiloh,” the affidavit alleges.

Wyasket fled the scene and officers pursued her. She stopped at the intersection of Vernal Avenue and Main Street, but police say she put her vehicle in reverse and hit a patrol car behind her. She then took off again, allegedly going more than 100 mph. About 3 miles later, Wyasket stopped on the front lawn of a residence where she was eventually taken into custody. Police also discovered that two of her children had been in the back seat of the Durango.

Wyasket was booked into the Uintah County Jail for investigation of 20 potential criminal charges, including aggravated arson, three counts of assault on a police officer, failing to respond to an officer’s signal to stop, two counts of child abuse and negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury.

According to court records, Wyasket was charged with aggravated assault in March of 2022 after allegedly assaulting the same victim, but the case was later dismissed.