EATON, Indiana — A father in Eaton is behind bars after striking his own daughter in the eye with a sword in 2021.
Neal Smith was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury (a level 3 felony).
On Jan. 23, 2021, Smith was involved in a domestic fight with his girlfriend before he took his children outside of the house to "build a fire" while he was "in a rage," according to court documents. While outside, Smith started to swing a katana around and eventually threw it at his daughter, striking her in the eye.
The father did call 911 to request an ambulance, but lied to officials by telling them he had hit her with a stick when they were "playing with things that they shouldn't have been," according to official court documents. The victim was then taken to the Riley Hospital for Children with "deep lacerations" in her eyelid and eyeball.
At the hospital, the child overheard her father lie to a doctor about the incident, and told the doctors that "he was lying when he said that."
The victim's mother said the girl may lose sight in her eye, according to the court documents.
The state agreed to dismiss multiple other charges in this case like strangulation, domestic battery and an additional neglect charge as part of the plea deal. From a separate case in 2024, though, Smith will serve one year of probation during his prison sentence after pleading guilty to the same previous three charges.
Eaton is just over 12 miles north of Muncie.
