Video of Nevada Puppy Shop Owner With Arsonist Before Fire
A Las Vegas pet-store owner was videotaped letting an arsonist into her store, and she collected office files before leaving as the man set fire to the business with more than two dozen puppies inside, according to an arrest report made public Monday.
Gloria Eun Hye Lee, 35, is due before a Las Vegas judge on Wednesday to face felony conspiracy and arson charges in the fire early Jan. 27 at the Prince & Princess pet shop.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Lee had a lawyer. An attorney who represented her in the past said Monday she’s not handling Lee’s current case.
Sprinklers doused flames, and firefighters arriving to the business in southwest Las Vegas rescued the puppies, fire officials said. The dogs were taken to an area animal shelter.
The arrest report doesn’t name the man seen carrying a pair of red gasoline cans into Lee’s store a little before 1 a.m. The video also shows him talking with Lee, splashing liquid from the cans around the store and igniting the liquid with a flaming newspaper before leaving, according to the arrest report. The video hasn’t been made public.
The man hasn’t charged with a crime, and it wasn’t clear if he had been found or questioned by Clark County fire investigators. County spokesman Dan Kulin called the case an ongoing investigation.
Firefighters credited sprinklers with preventing extensive damage to the pet shop, but they estimated the fire loss at $100,000.
Authorities haven’t said what they think the motive was for the fire.
The same pet store was burglarized just over a year ago when police said two white French bulldogs, a gray Schnauzer and a black Yorkshire terrier puppy were stolen from the Prince & Princess pet shop.
About 90 minutes later, thieves tossed a large boulder through the front door of another pet store that had been featured on the Animal Planet cable TV series “Tanked” and stole four exotic birds and four bearded dragon lizards.
Las Vegas Metropolitan police Officer Bill Cassell said Monday he didn’t know the status of those investigations, or whether any arrests were made.