LAKEVILLE, Mass. -- A Freetown man accused of tossing a rope around his escaped cow and dragging the animal to its death behind his pickup truck could face five years in jail, police said.

Joseph Pacheco is facing a charge of animal cruelty after outraged residents reported him to police.

“It was awful,” said bus driver Irene Briggs, who witnessed the Feb. 26 incident.

The cow, owned by Pacheco, had strayed from his property near the Freetown-Lakeville town line.

Lakeville Police Chief Mark Sorel told the Boston Herald that residents began calling and e-mailing police the day after the dragging death.

“I was shocked when I heard it,” he said.

Police said they found hoofprints on the road and a trail of blood leading to Pacheco's house.

Pacheco told police that he later slaughtered the cow and no crime was committed.

The animal cruelty charge carries a maximum five-year prison term and $2,500 fine.