FITCHBURG, Wis. -- Fitchburg police said they arrested a man on Tuesday who is suspected of beating a puppy to death during an argument with his girlfriend.

Fitchburg police said Dwayne R. Johnson, 34, of Madison, was involved in an argument with his girlfriend on Dec. 14, 2009 in the 2100 Block of High Ridge Trail.

Police said Johnson questioned the ownership of his girlfriend's puppy and said that if he could not have the puppy no one would.

Police said Johnson then beat the dog with a large flashlight, striking the dog in the head and body numerous times. Johnson then tossed the puppy into a Dumpster, police said.

Police said Johnson was arrested Tuesday on a charge of mistreatment of an animal causing death, a class E felony.

A veterinarian's examination of the dog determined the puppy was a 4- to 6-week-old female pit bull that died as a result of "massive head trauma as well as rib fractures," which punctured the puppy's lungs, according to a news release from the Fitchburg Police Department.

Police said witnesses who reported the incident were afraid to intervene in the beating due to the size of the suspect and the violent behavior he was engaged in.