Pet Shop Owner Allegedly Tries To Kill Puppies

Gloria Lee (Source: LVMPD)

Supporters of Nevada Voters for Animals stood outside the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas during a hearing for Gloria Lee on Feb. 5, 2014. (Shannon Moore/FOX5)

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) – Animal advocates plan to rally outside a hearing scheduled Wednesday for a pet store owner accused of setting fire to her shop with dozens of puppies inside.
Nevada Political Action for Animals is seeking the maximum penalty against Gloria Lee. A status check in her case is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Revelations are also coming to light about Lee, who, police say, was caught on surveillance video with a man setting fire to Prince and Princess Puppies and Boutique, while 27 puppies were trapped inside.
The puppies were rescued, but Lee is charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson.
It turns out this isn’t Lee’s first run-in with the law. She has a criminal background dating to 1998, raising questions about how she was able to obtain a business license to operate the pet store in the first place.
“When you see something like this that is so extreme, it’s obvious that a mistake occurred by giving her a business license,” FOX5 legal analyst Bob Massi said.
Clark County’s Business License Department said Lee obtained a license for the shop in 2010. Court records obtained by FOX5 show she was charged in 2008 for depriving animals of medical care and failing to vaccinate them. The case was dismissed when Lee provided proper documentation.
That wasn’t the only time Lee was in trouble with the law.
Lee plead guilty to insurance fraud in 1998. She was indicted on one count of forgery.
In 2001, Lee was sentenced to seven months in prison for failing to turn herself in to the courts for another, unknown crime.
According to the state of Alaska’s Department of Revenue, Lee committed insurance fraud in that state, defrauding the state’s Permanent Fund Dividend Division of more than $71,000.
“Maybe this is an example why there should be some type of background investigation or something that has something on there, asking, ‘Have you been convicted of a crime?'” Massi said.
FOX5 left a message for Lee’s attorney on Tuesday evening but our call was not immediately returned.
It is also not known whether Lee will appear during Wednesday’s hearing. Lee posted bail shortly after her booking into Clark County Detention Center. She also was not present during her originally scheduled court date on Monday.