LEBANON, Ore. (KATU) — A Linn County man was arrested after he allegedly beat a dog to death with a golf club.

The incident happened on Thursday. According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, a caller reported that a dog was killed inside a home on S. 9th St. in Lebanon.

The caller, who was reportedly a caretaker at the home, told police that the dog was in the house for “security measures” after the homeowner passed away recently.

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The caretaker told dispatch that they suspected the deceased homeowner’s son was involved in the dog’s death because they saw him leaving the property moments before discovering the animal dead.

The son, 36-year-old Michael Healy, went to the Lebanon Police Department and reported being attacked by the dog and returned to the home where he was met by deputies.

Investigators learned that Healy, who did not live at the home, entered the house and struck the dog several times with a golf club killing it. Despite claiming to be attacked by the dog, deputies noted that Healy did not have any visible injuries.

Healy was arrested and booked into the Linn County Jail on a complaint of first-degree aggravated animal abuse. This incident remains under investigation.