Brandon St. Don

A 38-year-old New Bedford man with a prior conviction for aggravated rape is now facing a felony animal cruelty charge, after allegedly beating his girlfriend's elderly dog until he was paralyzed.

An Attleboro man has been indicted on a charge of raping a child with force in connection to the rape of a 13-year-old girl in Fairhaven in October 2001, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.