London Woman Charged After Alleged Assault on Deputies

Shawna Lemaster (Image courtesy of Laurel County Detention Center)

LONDON, Ky. — A Laurel County woman faces multiple charges after deputies say she refused to leave a business and then assaulted law enforcement officers during her arrest on Friday, August 16.

According to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 1:30 p.m. to a business near Waterworks Road outside London after reports that a woman was refusing to leave the premises.

When officers arrived, they identified the individual as Shawna Lemaster, 48, of London, who deputies say was acting violently and would not comply with instructions. Officials reported finding Lemaster using tweezers to cause self-harm before becoming combative when deputies attempted to take her into custody.

An arrest citation states that deputies informed Lemaster she had active warrants and needed to accompany them. She allegedly refused, lying down on a bed and resisting arrest. Deputies say she then kicked one officer in the groin, punched another in the arm, and threatened an officer’s life, telling them they would “die” for placing her in handcuffs.

Lemaster was arrested and charged with:

• Third-degree assault (police officer)
• Second-degree terroristic threatening
• Resisting arrest

She was transported to and lodged in the Laurel County Correctional Center. No further details about injuries to deputies or the incident were available as of press time.