Aunt who injured baby niece while trying to stab dog that stole her Burger King sentenced
INDIANAPOLIS — A woman who critically wounded her one-year-old niece while trying to stab a dog that stole her Burger King chicken sandwich has entered a plea agreement that includes prison time and home detention, according to court records.
On Wednesday, Marion Superior Judge Anne Flannelly ordered Sharon Key to spend just over a year in the Indiana Department of Correction, followed by two years on home detention with Marion County Community Corrections and another two years on probation.
The Plainfield woman's sentence was delivered after she pleaded guilty to her felony charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury in the 2023 case. As part of her plea, the state dismissed her second charge of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a felony.
The stabbing happened inside a Castleton hotel room on Sept. 19, 2023 after Key told police her pitbull dog grabbed her Burger King chicken sandwich from the bed and ate it, according to court records.
Key said she tried grabbing the dog to get her food when it growled at her. She told police she got angry, took out her knife and tried to stab the animal.
The dog ran around the room and jumped on the bed, where the infant was lying. Key said she missed the dog and injured her niece.
The child survived, but needed stitches in her ear and head and suffered a fractured temporal bone, charging documents against Key stated. The infant’s mother told police she was bathing another child at the time of the stabbing. When she heard the commotion, she walked out of the bathroom and reported seeing Key holding a knife and her daughter bloody on the bed. Key then fled the room, her sister told police.
Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found Key hours later hiding in a bush near the Days Inn hotel in the 8300 block of Craig Street. Police said she had blood on her arms, hands and cellphone.
The child’s mother told police that Key has drug, mental health and temper issues.
Reporter Jake Allen contributed to this report. Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana aunt who stabbed baby niece while trying to stab dog takes plea
