ONTARIO, Ohio, April 25 (UPI) -- An Ohio woman charged with taking a stuffed duck from a little boy's grave says she removed it because she feared a stray dog would grab it.

Frieda Kay Shade, 54, of Mansfield faces a charge of petty theft. She surrendered to police in Ontario, Ohio on Wednesday, after a video taken by a surveillance camera went viral.


Hayden Cole Sheridan, nicknamed Tank, died seven years ago at the age of 14 months. He was one of triplets, and his brother and sister are still living.

Police in Ontario set up the surveillance camera because there had been other thefts of items from the little boy's grave, usually around holidays when his mother likes to leave mementoes.

Jaclyn Sheridan said she has some questions for Shade.

"I mainly want to know why," Sheridan said. "What gave you the right to think it was OK to do it? What made you do it? Why my son?"

Sheridan said she has seen no stray dogs in the cemetery during her many visits and does not believe Shade's story.