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LAVERKIN, Washington County — A man allegedly stabbed a neighbor and the neighbor's dog after a scuffle that started when the dog sniffed the man, police said.
Christian Logan McKusick, 27, was arrested Saturday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal, possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and aggravated assault, according to court documents.
On Saturday, police responded to a stabbing report and found a man who was bleeding from the head and neck, a police affidavit filed in 5th District Court states. The dog's neck was also "severely bleeding," police said. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment and the dog to a veterinarian's office. They both survived.
According to the neighbor, the fight started when his dog sniffed McKusick.
After the neighbor told McKusick not to touch his dog, McKusick allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed the dog, the affidavit states.
The man told police he then pushed McKusick against a wall and McKusick "came straight down on his head with the knife" and also stabbed him in the neck, according to court documents.
McKusick allegedly then ran into his home with the knife and then ran away into the neighborhood.
"An officer circulating the area reported seeing Christian running from a few blocks away. He stated he saw him running through other trailers in an attempt to flee from officers," police said.
An officer found him two streets away and arrested him, the affidavit states. Police noted that McKusick seemed "out of breath and agitated" and had blood on his hand. He told police the blood was from playing around with a knife a few days earlier, the affidavit states.
In an interview with police, McKusick told them the dispute began when he was smoking with his wife on their porch and the neighbor, who lives in the apartment behind them, called him a derogatory name.
"McKusick explained that he had been in prison and he did not like being called that and it upset him. McKusick said the victim passed him again going back to his apartment and called him derogatory names. McKusick indicated this escalated the situation into a verbal argument," police said.
McKusick told police he punched the other man a few times but originally denied having a knife during the argument, the affidavit states. McKusick later told officers the neighbor first wielded the knife and he disarmed him and later threw the knife on the ground, according to police.
"I explained that the dog had also been cut and McKusick claimed he didn't know that he had cut the dog. He then explained that he dropped the knife into some weeds. He went into the house, got a backpack and then fled into the alleyway behind the residence," the affidavit states.
When asked why he didn't call police, McKusick allegedly said that "he is terrified of the police and has had many altercations or negative experiences in the past," the affidavit states.
McKusick's criminal history in Utah involves guilty pleas for theft, possession of a dangerous weapon, possession or use of a controlled substance, and theft by receiving stolen property over a several year span, court records show.
