Woman charged in driveway stabbing of child

Neighbor allegedly assaults 3-year-old with ceramic knife.

WARREN COUNTY — A Warren County woman who allegedly stabbed a 3-yearold neighbor boy in the driveway of his home has been charged.

Lt. Todd Snelling said Xiaoyan Zhu, 46, of Deerfield Twp. was charged with one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, in Mason Municipal Court. Snelling said additional charges may be pending.

He said Zhu has not been booked into the Warren County Jail yet as she has not completed her medical evaluation in a secured facility.

Deputies are continuing their investigation of the stabbing incident reported by Zhu’s daughter during an online classroom with her teacher, who then called 911.

Deputies responded between 8:30 and 9 a.m. Thursday to a home on

Charleston Park Drive in Deerfield Twp. after the victim’s mother and a teacher reported the stabbing. Deputies confirmed the boy had been stabbed with a ceramic knife by a neighbor. He was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

“Somebody’s just stabbed my son,” the boy’s mother said in a frantic 911 call.

The boy’s mother said she heard screaming and saw her next door neighbor standing on her driveway and stabbing her son.

“I saw her with a knife standing above my child,” she said.

The woman said her son was walking around and crying. His back was covered in blood, but she said his injuries looked more like scratches.

Around the same time the child’s mother called, a Mason High School online learner told her teacher that her mother was stabbing someone. The teacher immediately called 911. She said her student had a sibling in the house, and that both children were sobbing.

Tracy Carson, spokeswoman for the Mason City School District, said in a statement released Thursday that the victim was the younger sibling of a Mason Early Childhood Center student, and that the children were outside on their way to the bus stop at the time of the stabbing.

“The child is expected to make a full recovery. Our mental wellness team was at the scene with Warren County deputies and is providing support to both families. We are all coming to grips with today’s tragic and frightening situation.

We struggle to find words of comfort, and do not have answers about why something like this happens.

“We know that everyone processes traumatic events differently. If you or someone you know needs help, please contact your child’s counselor or mental wellness coordinator. Please find additional information on our Resources for Mason Families document.”