A Las Vegas man is facing two felony counts of animal cruelty after police say he kept a dog and a cat locked in a closet for months without adequate food or water.
Juliane Lee, 25, was arrested on a warrant earlier this month and is being held at the Clark County Detention Center ahead of a July 27 court hearing, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Officers were called to Lee’s apartment in December after a 911 call reported a disturbance. They found a shattered window and a damaged door, and inside a closed walk-in closet they discovered the dog and cat.
Both animals were filthy and undernourished, with their ribs visible through their skin. Police said piles of feces littered the closet floor, with no sign of food or water anywhere nearby.
Investigators concluded the animals had been neglected for a long time. Lee now faces two counts of willfully or maliciously torturing, maiming, or mutilating an animal.
The dog and cat were taken to the Animal Emergency Center and later transferred to The Animal Foundation for treatment. The cat’s condition was more serious, with a low heart rate and rapid, shallow breathing.
Her condition continued to worsen after the rescue, and she was later euthanized. The dog’s current condition has not been made public.
The case adds to a string of animal cruelty arrests across the Las Vegas Valley this year, including the Mesquite case where more than 100 dogs were seized from a single property.
Nevada has some of the strongest animal cruelty statutes in the country, but prosecutors don’t always use them.
Lee is scheduled to appear in court on July 27.
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