KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man has been convicted of animal cruelty for attacking his dog with a baseball bat, killing it, and burying it in his backyard.

Khaleem Baringer, 21, of Kearney pleaded no contest Tuesday to the felony charge as part of a deal with prosecutors who agreed to drop another charge in the case.

A witness told police Baringer hit the dog several times in the head with the bat after it defecated on the floor and nipped at a woman as she tried to place the dog into a kennel.

Prosecutors said Baringer also stabbed the dog at least once before wrapping it in several towels and burying it behind a shed in the yard.

 

Police found blood spatter on the wall and window of the master bedroom, in the bathroom, and inside and outside of a trash can. Authorities say the dog’s skull and jaw were broken when its body was examined.

Baringer will face up to three years in prison when he is sentenced.