Rochester Man Facing Animal Cruelty Charge for Allegedly Stabbing Dog

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man is facing an animal cruelty charge for allegedly stabbing a dog. 

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That’s according to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court this week. The alleged stabbing occurred at an apartment complex in northwest Rochester in June.

Dog Stabbed at Northwest Rochester Apartment, 28-Year-Old Man Charged

Rochester police officers were dispatched to the apartment on the report of a Domestic Abuse No Contact Order being violated.

They were also told that 28-year-old Cameron Marcos Bejarano had stabbed a dog, the complaint says. 

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Responding officers spoke with a witness who stated she returned to the apartment from work and let her one-year-old Husky-pitbull mix, named Zephyr, out of his crate. 

She noticed blood spurting from Zephyr’s hind legs when he walked out of the kennel. The complaint also said there was a pool of blood in the kennel. 

Gross Misdemeanor Charge Filed in Rochester Dog Stabbing Case

Bejarano claimed that Zephyr had gotten into a fight with another dog at the dog park, however officers learned a fight had never taken place and Zephyr’s wounds were not consistent with a dog bite, the court document says. 

Officers observed blood stains on Bejarano’s pocket, found blood throughout the apartment and learned he had been home along with Zephyr for several hours on the day of the stabbing, according to the court document. 

Zephyr is charged by summons with gross misdemeanor animal mistreatment. 

The complaint indicates the severity of the charge could change once law enforcement learns more about Zephyr's long-term injury. Bejarno is scheduled to make his first court appearance early next year.