Woman charged with using pit bull to kill a man Officers shot and killed the dog after it ran toward them aggressively.

A woman was arrested and charged with murder last week after she allegedly released her pit bull on a man, police said.

Melissa D. Wolke, 38, was picked up early Friday morning near Mount Vernon, Kentucky, after cops received a call that she and the dog were assaulting a man, according to the arrest document. When the officers arrived, they found Wolke allegedly beating Donald W. Abner, 55, while the dog continued to maul the victim, police said.

Wolke allegedly refused an officer’s order to stand down, and she and the dog were shot with a Taser, according to police. The pit bull ran toward one of the officers in an “aggressive manner, and gave the officer no option but to eliminate the dog,” the complaint said.

Abner suffered severe dog bite wounds to his face and neck and was declared dead, police said.

In addition to the murder charge, Wolke was arraigned on four other criminal counts including alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the Rockcastle County Detention Center.

She was held on bail and scheduled for another court appearance on Monday, according to the police.