MELROSE, MASS. (WHDH) - A Melrose man is facing an animal cruelty charge after police say he violently killed his dog before burying it in his backyard Friday night.
Officers responding to a report of animal cruelty on Mount Zion Road learned that 44-year-old Adam Crook, who is known to police, dragged his dog from his home and into his backyard, where he struck the dog in the head with a large rock multiple times, killing it, according to Melrose police.
Crook then allegedly buried the dog in his backyard.
Officers executed a search warrant to locate and exhume the dog from the grave. A necropsy has been scheduled for Monday.
Crook was arrested without incident on Sunday and subsequently released on his personal recognizance.
He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Malden District Court.
Melrose Police Chief Michael Lyle called Crook’s alleged actions “reprehensible and inexcusable.”
Federal law enforcement partners and the Animal Rescue League of Boston assisted Melrose police with the investigation.
Mike DeFina of the ARL says, “This really callous and cruel act of violence against a defenseless animal does not go unanswered. That is really the priority of this investigation right now.”
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