Woman claims she accidentally stabbed baby while aiming for dog who ate her chicken sandwich

A moment of anger over a dog grabbing a Burger King treat escalated in a Midwest hotel room

Sharon Key saw red and stabbed her niece in a Days Inn Hotel in Castleton, Indiana (IMPD/WXIN)

A woman has been arrested after police say she stabbed her baby niece in the neck after chasing a dog that had just eaten her chicken sandwich.

Sharon Key, 32, was staying in a Days Inn in Indianapolis on Tuesday with her niece, nephew and sister when the family pit bull nabbed Ms Key’s Burger King meal and ate it.

She allegedly got so angry that she chased the dog around the hotel room with a knife, according to court records.

Then, she claimed, the dog jumped on the bed where the 1-year-old was resting and she tried to stab the hungry canine, but missed and pierced the baby’s neck.

The child’s mother, who was in an adjacent bathroom giving her son a bath, heard “loud noises from the bedroom so she walked out and saw that [Ms Key] was holding a knife in her hand and [her daughter] was bloody and screaming on the bed.”

She immediately called 911 while also using a hotel towel to apply pressure to her daughter’s stab wound, according to police, who said they found Ms Key hiding in a bush outside the hotel.

The baby was taken to Riley Children’s Hospital, where she got several stitches to her ear and neck. She initially was in a critical condition when she arrived, but was able to be stabilised, WXIN reported.

According to Tracy Griffin, a grandfather of the baby, the 1-year-old is expected to survive her injuries but could be left with emotional damage.

The suspect was found outside of the Days Inn hotel hiding in a bush (CBS4 Indy)

“I want her to be accountable for this,” said Mr Griffin to WXIN. “My granddaughter will be scarred for the rest of her life.”

Ms Key was charged with criminal recklessness.

“It’s stupid, and at the same time, she’s a grown-up,” said Mr Griffin. “She should have known that baby was sitting right there. I want the book thrown at her.”

This has not been Ms Key’s first entanglement with the law.

In 2020, she pleaded guilty to stabbing a woman with a box cutter during a fight at a gas station, court records show.

Meanwhile, her family says she has struggled with drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues for years, but that the city has done little to help her with her problems.

“This city needs to do better,” said Mr Griffin. “All they’re doing is slapping her on the wrist.”

If Ms Key is convicted of a Class B criminal recklessness charge, she could face up to 180 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines, according to Indiana law.