Northern Virginia man charged with felony animal cruelty after stabbing dog 14 times
FREDERICK COUNTY, Va. - A Northern Virginia man was arrested for animal cruelty in Frederick County after sheriff’s deputies said he killed his dog by stabbing it to death.
What we know:
Deputies were called to the 7900 block of Hollow Road Thursday around 2 a.m. after a passerby reported a disabled vehicle along the road. The person told deputies that a driver said he had run over his dog and killed it.
Once on the scene, deputies met with the driver, identified as Erfan Behnam, 34, of Reston. He was covered in blood and dog hair, officials said.
Deputies found the dog dead with stab wounds in a nearby grassy area. Behnam told deputies that he was driving in the area when the dog jumped from the vehicle.
During their investigation, Behnam stated that he believed he "needed to put the dog down," and admitted to stabbing the dog. A knife was found inside his vehicle.
As the investigation continued, deputies said Behnam shared inconsistent statements about how the dog was injured and why he believed the dog needed to be euthanized.
The dog had 14 stab wounds on multiple areas of its body, deputies said. Animal Control took custody of the dog's remains, deputies said.
Behnam was arrested and charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office at 301-600-1046 or the FCSO tip line at 301-600-4131.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.