Woman charged after multiple dog bite incidents

SAN ANTONIO – A 10-year-old San Antonio boy was getting off a school bus last week when he was bitten by a dog previously classified as dangerous, officials say.

According to police, this is not the first incident the dog owner has been involved in. KENS 5 spoke to a neighbor who was himself bitten by the suspect's dog.

The Edgecrest Drive man still remembers a dangerous encounter last year when he says a pit bull attacked him during a leisurely nighttime walk.

“You can still see that one hole there, that other hole,” he said, pointing to the bite. “After that bite, not five or ten seconds go by that I'm not constantly looking over my shoulder or into the distance to see if there's a dog running around loose.”

Not only does this neighbor have scars to prove the attack, but his attitude toward stray dogs in general has changed.

“I can't even relax in front of my house or on my street without being afraid of being attacked,” he said. “Or that my little dog will be mutilated or maybe killed. It's terrible.”

According to an arrest warrant for Melanie Scott, the dog's owner, there have been several incidents in which her dog has bitten someone.

On September 12, police said, her dog wandered down the street and bit a 10-year-old boy on the left leg as he was getting off the school bus.

Witnesses say Scott took photos of the boy's injuries and drove away with her dog in her car before police arrived. Police say the boy's injuries required stitches. A witness told animal control that his daughter had been bitten by Scott's dog in a separate incident.

On July 31, another dog bite occurred, which authorities deemed dangerous a week later. Scott received a court order stating that her dog must be confined to her property and leashed and muzzled when outdoors.

ACS officials said there are two dogs living on Scott's property. In a statement to KENS 5, they said she was arrested and faces child injury charges as part of an ACS investigation.

“ACS will continue to hold accountable any irresponsible pet owners who cause these dangerous situations,” officials continued. “Pet owners must follow the law and keep their animals on their property.”

Scott was eventually released on bail set at $20,000.