Ohio mom accused of violently dunking baby in a lake
Background: Caesar Creek State Park (Google Maps). Inset: Sharon Rose O’Hara (Warren County Sheriff’s Office).
An Ohio woman was arrested for child abuse after witnesses claimed to see her violently dunking her 3-month-old infant in a lake.
Sharon Rose O’Hara, 39, was arrested by Warren County police on charges of felony child abuse. According to prosecutors, witnesses reported in July that O’Hara was allegedly slamming a car seat on the ground at Caesar Creek State Park with the infant strapped into it.
O’Hara then apparently became even more aggressive, allegedly bringing the car seat and the baby over to the water and slamming her into the water. She then reportedly took the baby out of the car seat and started violently dunking the infant in the lake. Bystanders ran over to stop O’Hara and help the baby while some called 911.
O’Hara also had a 9-year-old child with her at the park, Cincinnati Fox affiliate WXIX reported. That child told police that the children had been treated badly by their mother in the days leading up to the incident in the park.
The condition of the infant was not made clear.
“On July 28, 2024, at Caesar Creek State Park, defendant caused serious physical harm to her three-month-old child and created a substantial risk to the health and safety of her nine-year-old child,” a grand jury report stated.
O’Hara was arrested on Dec. 17 and is being held in Warren County Jail. No bond was indicated. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 20. She was charged with three counts of endangering a child and one count of felony assault.
WXIX reported that the children were in the custody of a relative.
