NEW YORK—Police say a former television screenwriter was arrested after punching his poodle in the face so hard that it died of a brain injury.

The New York Post reports Sunday ( http://nyp.st/LYjcJc) that 51-year-old Ted Shuttleworth was arrested Saturday at his home in Queens. The Post says Shuttleworth punched his dog on May 29 because he was angry with the animal. The dog weighed about four pounds.

A spokesman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the dog sustained a traumatic brain injury.

The newspaper reports Shuttleworth is a former TV writer who once worked for "NYPD Blue." He could face up to a year in prison.

His wife tells the newspaper that the dog's death was a "horrible accident."

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Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com