A passerby's report about a disabled car and a driver who claimed he'd run over his own dog led Frederick County deputies to a grim scene early Thursday: a dog stabbed 14 times and left dead in a grassy area along Hollow Road, with the suspect allegedly still covered in blood and dog hair when officers arrived.
The Frederick County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to the 7900 block of Hollow Road at approximately 1:55 a.m. Thursday after a passerby reported the disabled vehicle and the driver's claim, according to 930 WFMD. Deputies identified the driver as 34-year-old Erfan Behnam of Reston, per deputies cited by DC News Now, and found him covered in blood and dog hair at the scene.
According to the same account, Behnam initially told the passerby he had run over his dog, then told deputies the animal had jumped from his moving vehicle. Deputies searched the area and found a dead dog with multiple stab wounds in a grassy patch off the roadway, and recovered a knife from inside Behnam's vehicle, per deputies.
A Story That Kept Changing
Behnam ultimately admitted to deputies that he stabbed the dog, telling them he believed he needed to put it down, according to official Frederick County Sheriff's Office statements confirmed by CBS News. Investigators say the dog suffered 14 stab wounds across multiple parts of its body. Behnam gave conflicting statements throughout the investigation about why he believed the dog needed to be put down and how it was initially injured, per deputies cited by DC News Now.
Deputies transferred the dog's remains to Frederick County Animal Control, and the incident remains under investigation. Behnam was charged with felony aggravated cruelty to an animal and transported to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center, per deputies.
What Maryland's Felony Cruelty Law Requires
Under Section 10-606 of the Maryland Criminal Law Code, felony aggravated cruelty to animals — which covers intentionally mutilating, torturing, or cruelly killing an animal — carries potential penalties of up to three years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both, according to FindLaw. The same statute permits a court to order psychological counseling as a condition of sentencing or probation.
Maryland law draws a sharp line between that felony charge and misdemeanor animal abuse under a separate section of the code, according to legal analysis published this month by Maryland defense practice FrizWoods. Prosecutors must prove deliberate torture, mutilation, or intentional killing to sustain a felony charge rather than a lesser neglect count. Deputies reported that the dog suffered 14 stab wounds.
Animal Control's Role and Local Context
The Frederick County Animal Control Division, which took custody of the dog's remains, is the county's sole municipal open-intake shelter and employs seven full-time officers who investigate animal abuse and enforce state and county animal ordinances, according to Frederick County Government. The agency is currently in the midst of a shelter renovation and expansion project on Rosemont Avenue that began in March 2025.
This is not the first violent case tied to a pet to surface locally this year. Hoodline reported that a Frederick grand jury indicted a 19-year-old last month after he allegedly held a resident at gunpoint and threatened to kill him over a French Bulldog. Elsewhere in Maryland, Hoodline also reported on another case.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the Hollow Road incident to call 301-600-1046 or the Frederick County Sheriff's Office tip line at 301-600-4131.
