Man charged after skateboard attack at Brookside Park in Farmington

A 31-year-old Farmington man already on supervised probation is now accused of attacking two people with a skateboard at Brookside Park, a case that put one of the city’s busiest family parks and its criminal supervision system under the same spotlight.

Joseph Shimer was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor battery after the May 7 incident at the Brookside Park pavilion, according to court records. The alleged attack happened around 5 p.m. in a part of the park near the skate park, playgrounds and other recreation areas used daily by families across Farmington.

Court records say Shimer approached Karen Hungary, 50, and tried to touch her legs. When she told him to back off, he allegedly threw her to the ground and punched her. Ronald Hungary, 45, tried to help his wife, and investigators say Shimer struck him in the head with a skateboard.

An off-duty San Juan County Sheriff’s Deputy witnessed the encounter, and two other witnesses backed up the Hungarys’ account, according to the records. Police also reviewed video from the Real Time Crime Center that allegedly showed Shimer dropping the skateboard and another person driving away with it before the vehicle returned and officers took the skateboard as evidence.

Shimer denied the assault and told police he had been the victim of battery, court documents state.

The arrest also draws attention to Shimer’s prior run-ins with the justice system. Records show he had previously faced 11 1/2 years in the Department of Corrections for possession of methamphetamine, larceny, possession of a stolen vehicle and non-residential burglary. District Judge Stephen Wayne suspended that sentence on Dec. 11, 2024, and placed Shimer on five years of supervised probation.

He later received one year and five months of supervised probation after a March 10 incident in which he allegedly tried to cash a washed check using someone else’s identification card. The new case means Shimer was in the community under court supervision when the Brookside Park allegations unfolded.

Brookside Park is one of Farmington’s largest public spaces, with a skateboarding park, two playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts, a covered stage, open areas, restrooms and parking. Its north shelter sits close to the skate park and play structures, making the alleged violence especially striking in a place built for recreation.

A preliminary examination is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 20 in Farmington Magistrate Court.