A 20-year-old Jeffersonville, Indiana woman was arrested during the Kentucky State Fair on Sunday night after fairgrounds police say she approached officers screaming about a jailed family member while carrying her two-month-old infant. Carma Payne now faces a felony charge and multiple misdemeanors stemming from the encounter, which occurred around 8:50 p.m. as the fair continued.
According to an arrest citation reported by WHAS11, Payne approached Kentucky State Fair Board Police officers at the Kentucky Exposition Center and began yelling and screaming because a family member was in jail. Fair police say she would not stop yelling or calm down despite being warned, and that she crossed traffic while holding her baby with the child's head unsupported.
The confrontation escalated when officers intervened. Per the arrest citation, Payne squeezed the baby, causing the infant to cry. The account does not describe a further physical struggle involving Payne and an officer.
Multiple Agencies Responded on Fairgrounds
Fairgrounds security was present during the event, and State Fair Board Police officers were among those who confronted Payne at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Payne was ultimately charged with wanton endangerment in the first degree. She was also charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct in the first degree.
Court Date Set, Bond Posted at $5,000
Payne is being held at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections on a $5,000 cash bond. Payne is expected in court for a preliminary hearing on September 8.
It's worth noting that every detail describing physical aggression toward the infant — the squeezing, the alleged swinging by the neck — comes from the arrest citation and represents police allegations, not a court finding. The September hearing will mark the first judicial test of whether prosecutors have enough to move the felony charge forward.
Incident Capped a Rowdy Final Weekend
The Kentucky State Fair was underway when this incident occurred in its final hours. Payne's arrest adds to a fairground already dealing with heightened scrutiny this year; Hoodline previously reported on a fatal horse electrocution before the fair opened and on the World's Championship Horse Show and its prize money during the run.
Payne lives in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and was at the fair when she was arrested. What remains unclear from the available record is the current medical condition of the two-month-old following the arrest, the identity and status of the incarcerated family member Payne was reportedly asking about, and whether any body-worn or fairground surveillance footage exists to corroborate the sequence of events described in the citation.
