Odessa Clay, North Carolina mother, tattooed her 11-year-old daughter, police say

(CBS/AP) HAVELOCK, N.C. - Police charged a heavily tattooed mother after she allegedly gave her 11-year-old daughter a heart-shaped tattoo near her shoulder.

Odessa Clay, 30, was arrested last month and later charged with tattooing a person under 18, ABC affiliate WCTI reports. Clay reportedly said she didn't know tattooing a minor is illegal even with a parent's permission.

Clay said she used her own tools and numbed her daughter's arm to give her a small, heart-shaped tattoo near her right shoulder. She tattooed the outline of a heart but didn't fill in the entire shape.

Clay said the girl asked for the tattoo. She said she believes a former in-law reported the tattoo to retaliate against her.

Clay is due in court next month.