SPRINGFIELD -- A woman who lives near Springfield faces a misdemeanor animal abuse charge after sheriff's deputies say her pit bull terrier killed two of her neighbors' dogs and injured a third one. If convicted, Sandy Kelley could face a sentence of up to a year in the county jail and/or a fine up to $1,000.

Springfield-Greene County Animal Control officers confiscated Kelley's dog, Barty, last week after neighbors say he got loose on Nov. 3 and attacked other animals on West Village Lane, just west and south of the city.

Greene County sheriff's deputies say Kelley was supposed to get rid of the pit bull after it attacked and killed another dog last summer. The dog is at Animal Control's pound until a hearing by a committee at the Springfield-Greene County Health Department on what will happen to it.

A deputy's probable cause statement used as the basis of the charge says Barty got into a fenced yard and killed Linda Polley's dog. Barty then jumped a fence, the deputy wrote, and attacked Sheila Alvarado's dogs, killing one and seriously injuring another. Another woman said the pit bull attacked her patio door, trying to get at her 6-year-old daughter and a puppy who were inside the door.

A prosecutor asked a judge to impose a $750 bond on Kelley because she has an active warrant from Springfield Municipal Court and has a prior animal abuse conviction. The prosecutor also asked a judge to order Kelley to keep all other dogs she owns on a leash or in a fenced yard, and not to leave them outside unattended.

Greene County online court records show that previous conviction was in 2003 for an incident the previous year. A judge fined her $200 and suspended a 120-day jail sentence.