Woman arrested for selling underage puppies

RIVERSIDE Marisol Novarro DeLam, 45, was arrested by Riverside County sheriff's deputies in connection with an animal cruelty case in Ontario last year. She was accused of possessing and selling underage puppies. It is illegal to sell dogs less than 8 weeks old. An arrest warrant was issued after she failed to show up for her mandatory court appearance.

DeLam pleaded guilty to a felony animal cruelty charge in May 2004. In May 2005, Riverside County Animal Services discovered DeLam had more dogs than she was allowed, which was a violation of her probation terms.

Riverside County Animal Services Commander Rita Gutierrez says her organization and others are familiar with DeLam and others like her.

Animal control organizations receive numerous complaints each year about illegal puppy sales. Many of the cases are hard to investigate because the sales take place at swap meets and in parking lots, and the sellers are hard to track down.