MELROSE, MA — A Melrose man was arrested after beating his dog to death with a rock and burying it in his backyard, police said. Adam Crook, 44, of Mount Zion Road, is charged with animal cruelty.

Police said Crook, who was known to authorities, dragged his dog from his home into the backyard Friday night and struck it in the head repeatedly with a large rock, killing it. Crook then buried the dog, police said.

Officers responded to Crook's home Saturday with a search warrant and exhumed the dog.