Man charged with repeatedly stabbing pit bull

A Slatington man is charged with repeatedly stabbing a pit bull that attacked him and another man in December. An arrest warrant has been issued for the other man in the case.

Slatington Police arrested Jesse Krum, 25, of the 400 block of West Church Street, on Tuesday after he showed up intoxicated at his girlfriend’s West Church Street home.

Police confronted Krum, who had a warrant for his arrest, and he resisted arrest. Police had to use a stun gun twice until he was handcuffed.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by patrolman William Borst of the borough police department from December:

At 11:21 p.m. Dec. 11, an emergency room nurse at the Palmerton Hospital told police that two men were treated for bite wounds during a dog attack at a home on the 400 block of West Church Street.

The nurse said the men told her the dog had been stabbed to death inside of the residence during the attack.

Borst and Sgt. Deron Dorward talked to the two men, who were identified as Krum and Aaron Ahner, 36, of Slatington.

Ahner had stitches for a bite wound to his right biceps and Krum had a fractured wrist and several bite wounds on his right arm.

They told police that the dog, a brown pit bull, had attacked Krum unprovoked.

Ahner said he was called to the residence by Krum’s girlfriend, who told him that her dog was attacking Krum.

Ahner said he saw the dog biting Krum’s right arm.

He said had a folding knife and Krum began stabbing the dog.

Ahner denied stabbing the animal.

Krum admitted stabbing the animal, and said Ahner also stabbed the dog.

Police went to the residence where the animal’s body was in a bedroom wrapped in a towel.

Krum’s girlfriend told Borst that the incident began while she and Krum were arguing in the third-floor bedroom.

She said she and Krum were throwing items back and forth at one another and the animal bit Krum on the right arm.

Police said the dog had been stabbed on both sides of its body 12 times and its throat had been cut from one side of the neck to the other.

Police said the injuries were not consistent with the stories provided by Ahner and Krum.

A neighbor told police she went to the bedroom and saw Ahner and Krum holding the dog on the ground.

She said the dog was trying to back away from the two men, however they continued to hold the dog on the ground.

The neighbor said she saw Krum hold the dog down on the ground while Ahner stabbed the dog repeatedly.

Borst then spoke with the resident’s son, who said he saw Krum standing over the dog and heard him say, “Why won’t he just die?”

The boy said that he then saw Krum stab the injured animal several times.

Borst determined that the excessive stabbing and ultimate killing of the animal was done when the animal was no longer a threat to safety.

Krum and Ahner are both charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

Krum is also charged with two counts each of resisting arrest or other law enforcement, and possession of drug paraphernalia, for Tuesday night’s arrest.

Krum is currently in Lehigh County Jail under $30,000 bail.

Ahner has not been arrested.

Krum is scheduled to appear for preliminary hearings at 2:15 p.m. May 8 at the Lehigh County Courthouse.