Judge delays motion to dismiss charges in pet store arson
A district judge on Wednesday delayed until May a motion to dismiss the charges against accused pet store arsonists Gloria Lee and Kirk Bills.
Lee, 35, and fledgling boxer Bills, 27, face 31 charges, including 27 counts of attempted animal cruelty, for the fire.
The trial date was also moved to July 14 by Judge David Barker.
Surveillance video from the pet shop shows a woman letting a man in dreadlocks and wearing a hood into the shop. The man then tried to start a fire using kerosene and gasoline splashed onto the animal cages. The woman is seen removing documents from the business and helping the hooded man by collecting the empty fuel cans before the fire was set.
Prosecutors say the man and woman in the video are Bills and Lee.
The blaze was quickly extinguished by a sprinkler system in the store, and the dogs survived unharmed.
The county took charge of the 27 dogs that included 25 puppies after the January arson at the Prince and Princess Pet Boutique. The 25 puppies were adopted out by the Animal Foundation. The two adult dogs are in foster care through the animal rescue A Home 4 Spot.
Bills and Lee have pleaded not guilty. They both remain in custody at the Clark County Detention Center on $310,000 bail.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @fjmccabe.
