LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas pet shop owner who
prosecutors say was seen on security cameras torching her store with 27
puppies inside was handcuffed and taken to jail on Friday after a judge
raised her bail by more than $250,000.
Animal rights advocates who
held signs outside the courthouse hailed the determination by Justice
of the Peace Janiece Marshall that defendant Gloria Eun Hye Lee is a
danger to the community and a flight risk.
"We’re elated she was
remanded today," said Gina Grieson, the head of the advocacy group
Nevada Voters for Animals. "We’ll be following this case all the way
through."
The judge raised Lee’s bail amount from $40,000 to
$310,000 two days after prosecutor Shanon Clowers filed additional
charges and said Lee’s criminal record included felony and misdemeanors
convictions that included a 2001 escape in California.
Las Vegas
firefighters rescued the puppies alive and credited fire sprinklers with
dousing flames early Jan. 27 inside the Prince and Princess pet store
southwest of the Las Vegas Strip.
Lee, 35, faces felony charges of
arson, burglary and conspiracy, plus 27 counts of attempted animal
cruelty that could be tried as felonies or misdemeanors.
A preliminary
hearing was set for Feb. 27.
Lee hasn’t been asked to enter a plea, but her attorneys, Tom Pitaro and Ozzie Fumo, said they will fight
the charges.
Pitaro
argued for nearly 30 minutes but lost his bid on Friday to keep Lee
under house arrest. He noted that she has lived in Las Vegas since 2003
and is a U.S. citizen.
Clowers, a chief deputy Clark County district attorney, derided attempts by the defense to minimize the
allegations against Lee.
"To
call her not a danger to the community is absolutely astonishing,"
Clowers said. "Her and her boyfriend poured gasoline throughout the
puppy store and lit it on fire."
Pitaro and Fumo didn’t say
immediately after the hearing whether Lee could post the additional
$270,000 bail to be freed again from Clark County jail.
At
Pitaro’s request, Marshall scheduled another hearing Tuesday for
arguments about whether the state was properly reporting Lee’s prior
felony convictions in California.
Clowers said in court documents that Lee was convicted in 1999 of forgery and in 2001 of larceny from a
bank and escape.
"The
fact that she committed escape, whether it was 10 years ago or 20 years
ago, still shows what her behavior is," Clowers said in court.
Court
records say security video shows Lee and a man identified as Kirk Bills
setting the puppy store fire, and Lee removing files from the building.
The video hasn’t been made public, and Pitaro complained that he hasn’t
been provided a copy.
Clowers said federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were reviewing the
recording.
Police
were seeking Bills, 27, of Henderson on an arrest warrant. He faces the
same 31 charges as Lee. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach him
have not been successful.
Lee’s case was transferred to Marshall
from Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento, who heard bail arguments on
Wednesday. Prosecutors noted that Sciscento is personal friends with
Pitaro and Fumo.
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