MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) - Police in Tennessee say a puppy was killed when a man put it in a dishwasher and ran the machine.

Police charged 27-year-old Marcus Curry with aggravated abuse to animals. He is being held on US$40,000 (S$51,000) bond.

Police were called on Wednesday by an apartment maintenance man who found a dead puppy in a trash bin.

A police affidavit states Curry told officers he didn't put the dog into the dishwasher. But a witness told investigators that Curry told him he put the dog in the dishwasher and "left it in there too long".

Another witness saw the animal in the dishwasher and said that when Curry took it out, the puppy was not moving.

No attorney was listed for Curry.