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Las Vegas: Protests for shop owner accused of trying to burn puppies to death
http://www.rgj.com/viewart/20140205...er-accused-of-trying-to-burn-puppies-to-deathLAS VEGAS — Animal rights advocates held signs and cursed a Las Vegas pet shop owner as she arrived at court Wednesday to face criminal charges and accusations that she conspired with an arsonist to burn her store with 27 puppies inside.
Armed marshals ushered one protester out of the Clark County Regional Justice Center after she confronted store owner Gloria Eun Hye Lee with angry words and called her despicable. The protester left the building voluntarily and wasn’t charged with a crime.
“When you intentionally attempt to burn to death 27 puppies, what do you expect?” said Gina Greisen, head of Nevada Voters for Animals, an advocacy group.
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In the courtroom, Lee, 35, stood silently while prosecutor Shannon Clowers asked Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento to order Lee into custody on $400,000 bail as she awaits a Feb. 24 preliminary hearing.
The judge let Lee remain free on $20,000 bail and house arrest, at least until a Friday bail hearing. Lee’s defense attorneys, Tom Pitaro and Ozzie Fumo, surrendered her Korean passport.
No puppies perished in the overnight fire Jan. 27 at the Prince and Princess pet store several miles southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. Firefighters rescued the dogs and credited fire sprinklers with preventing extensive damage to the shop and surrounding strip mall.
The rescued animals were later turned over to an animal shelter where they’ve been photographed staring with fuzzy faces from behind kennel bars.
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Store security video shows Lee letting a man later identified as Kirk Bills into the store a little before 1 a.m., according to court documents.
The video shows the man carrying a pair of red gasoline cans, and Lee collecting files from the store while the man splashes liquid from the cans around the floor, shelves and puppy cages and ignites the liquid with a flaming newspaper. The video could be made public at the preliminary hearing.
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