COCOA, Fla. -- A Brevard County woman accused of letting her dog starve to death got a surprise when she showed up for court Thursday, an additional criminal charge.

Christine Abrams, 29, faces up to a year in the county jail and a $1,000 fine if she's convicted of the two counts of animal cruelty. Just before the hearing, her attorney was handed a copy of a document charging Abrams with the second count, a misdemeanor of illegal confinement of the dog.

Abrams was trying to make a plea deal on the first count for starvation, but now it's back to square one if there is any deal to be made. The 29-year-old Cocoa woman is accused moving from her home and leaving her 2-year-old German Shepherd, named Ella, locked in a crate without food or water for two months.

Eyewitness News obtained more disturbing evidence in the case Thursday afternoon. Veterinary records that indicate the dog was previously left tied to a leash for so long it got caught up in it and its back leg became so infected it had to be amputated. That occurred in the month just before Abrams is accused of abandoning the dog, because her new roommate was allergic.

Abrams was at one point facing a felony charge, which was reduced to a misdemeanor. Her attorney said they were planning to move forward on that one count until they learned they now face two misdemeanor charges.

"We weren't looking to litigate this case, quite honestly. We were looking to try to resolve it with a negotiated plea," said Abrams' attorney, Andrew Stine.

Outside the courthouse, Abrams had to walk by protestors holding signs that read, "Send animal killers to jail." They have been pressing for the maximum penalty in the case, saying prosecutors should not accept any plea deal.

In the eyes of the protestors, they believe Abrams should have to do some jail time for the death of the dog.