Man Who Stabbed Dog 14 Times Said It 'Needed To Be Put Down': MD Authorities

FREDERICK, MD — A Virginia man is accused of fatally stabbing his dog about 14 times before deputies found him covered in blood and dog hair along a Frederick County road, according to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

Erfan Behnam, 34, of Reston, Virginia, was arrested and charged with felony aggravated cruelty to an animal, authorities said.

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Deputies responded to the 7900 block of Hollow Road around 1:55 a.m. on Thursday after a passerby reported a disabled vehicle. The passerby told deputies the driver said he had run over and killed his dog.

When deputies arrived, they found Behnam visibly covered in blood and dog hair, according to the sheriff's office. A dead dog with multiple stab wounds was found nearby in a grassy area.

Behnam told deputies the dog had jumped out of his vehicle while he was driving and that he believed he "needed to put the dog down," authorities said. He admitted stabbing the dog, and deputies found a knife inside the vehicle.

Investigators said Behnam gave inconsistent accounts of how the dog was injured and why he believed it needed to be euthanized. The dog suffered about 14 stab wounds to multiple areas of its body.

Authorities took Behnam to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center. Animal Control took custody of the dog's remains.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Frederick County Sheriff's Office at 301-600-1046 or its tip line at 301-600-4131.