OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP)- A Worcester County man has been sentenced to more than five months in jail for killing his dog.
Police said the man had claimed he was Jesus Christ and had sent the canine to heaven.
Joseph Cryer pleaded guilty in late December to aggravated animal cruelty.
The Ocean City man had already served 104 days in jail before he received his sentence, according to the paper.
Cryer was a former Ocean City mayoral candidate and was arrested in September.
Police said they came to his house after a woman heard screaming from Cryer's home.
Police said an officer noticed a significant amount of blood outside Cryer's house and that Cryer told the officer that he was Jesus Christ
According to police, Cryer said he hit the dog on the head with a hammer until it died and went to heaven.
He reportedly said the dog was happy being with his brother who was also in heaven.
Police said an animal control officer who recovered the dog noticed a hole in the dog's head and a significant cut across the dog's neck.