ARUNDEL — A 23-year old Arundel man who allegedly killed one of his mother’s dogs in June has been formally charged with Class C cruelty to animals.

A York County Grand Jury late last week handed up an indictment charging Jacob Belanger with the felony offense. An indictment is the beginning of the prosecution process. If he is convicted of the charge, Belanger faces a maximum prison term of five years.

He was arrested by York County Sheriff ’s Office June 30 after deputies responded to a report a dog had been stabbed.

According to police reports issued at the time, Belanger left the home he grandmother at 714 Alfred Road after allegedly stabbing a chocolate Labrador retriever named Annabel to death. He returned to the home as deputies were conducting a preliminary investigation and was later arrested.

According to a news release issued by the sheriff ’s office, a large number of dogs lived in the Belanger household and on the surrounding property.

His mother allegedly told police her son was upset with the number of dogs in the house, particularly the larger ones. According to the news release Belanger’s mother said that before he left for work, he threatened to kill the dogs if they were still around when he returned home.

Following his arrest, Belanger was taken to York County Jail, held on $1,000 cash bail. He has since been released a corrections officer said this morning.

According to the indictment, Belanger is represented by attorney William Ashe.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].