Henderson worker tied to theft probe

Jen Lawson and Mary Manning

Friday, Jan. 10, 2003 | 11:06 a.m.

One of the four people arrested Wednesday in the investigation of an auto theft ring allegedly tied to a pet grooming shop was a Henderson employee, a city government spokeswoman said.

Randall Ray Scott, 49, had been working as a part-time, temporary code enforcement officer for a year before his arrest Wednesday night.

Scott's job was to make sure signs on city streets were posted according to the city code, Henderson spokeswoman Cindy Herman said. He had the authority to write citations, but only wrote one or two citations since he was hired Jan. 7, 2002. He was paid $25 an hour. His employment with Henderson is "up in the air" as a result of the arrest, Herman said.

Scott and three others were arrested after Metro Police officers served a search warrant at Artistic Pet and found more than 50 hungry and thirsty dogs and puppies penned in their own excrement in the back portion of Artistic Pet, 6620 E. Flamingo.

Also arrested were the owner of the shop, Graham Pickett, 32,; Gary Wayne Ramsdell, 31, and Dawn Stephanie Wilson, 31. All four were charged with possession of stolen vehicles and altering vehicle identification numbers. Pickett was additionally charged with running a chop shop, and Scott also was charged with possession of a controlled substance, Officer Jose Montoya said.

Police recovered seven luxury cars and a jet ski in connection with the arrests, authorities.

A senior animal control officer for Clark County said the scene at the pet grooming shop Wednesday night was one of the worst he has seen in a business in his more than 13 years on the job.

David March, senior animal control officer for Clark County, said the results of the police investigation of the shop and veterinarian's examinations will be presented to the district attorney's office so that prosecutors can decide whether to proceed with animal cruelty charges.

The dogs are at Dewey Animal Center. If any of them belong to customers of the shop, those customers can claim the animals if they can prove ownership, with shot records, photos, a license or a microchip, for example.

After 10 days, however, the pet shop owners can claim any dogs remaining at Dewey Animal Center, March said.

The incident should serve as a lesson to Las Vegas pooch owners who take their dogs for grooming or boarding, March said.

"Ask to see the entire facility, and if you are kept out of certain areas, go look for another shop," he said.

The county had issued a business license to Artistic Pet in 1995, but it is undergoing routine county review because of a change of owners and location. The shop on Flamingo is the current address, license supervisor Lisa Howell said. The shop is allowed to operate, since it has an existing license, she said.