The owner of a pit bull that bit a 12-year-old boy before being shot in a confrontation with a Douglas County sheriff's deputy has been charged with two counts of ownership of a dangerous dog.

Justin Denton, 24, of Highlands Ranch, is to appear in Douglas County Court on April 3 on the misdemeanor charges, said sheriff's spokeswoman Cocha Heyden.

The dog, another pit bull and a third dog were on school grounds at Cresthill Middle School on Feb. 22 when the dog bit the boy as he was chasing a basketball.

The boy was not seriously injured.

Denton agreed to have both pit bulls put down, Heyden said.

The third dog belonged to someone else and was returned to its owner, she added.

Deputies believe the dogs escaped through an open garage door at Denton's nearby home, she said.

Animal control officers also cited Denton with two counts of having an unlicensed animal and two counts of dogs running at large, Heyden said.