Cops Seek Man in 'Joker' Lipstick After Pet Shop Scare

What made the store clerk at Puppies of Westport suspicious Thursday morning was that the man who entered the store had lipstick on.

And not just on his lips -- but out to his cheeks like "The Joker" in Batman movies.

Then there was the cell phone he left on the counter with a device attached to it. At 11 a.m., Norwalk police were called, and dispatchers suggested that the store evacuate everyone from the premises in case the attached device was a bomb.

Norwalk firefighters were called in and nearby stores were also evacuated. Then the Stamford police bomb squad was called in to examine the devices. Bomb squad technicians determined that the phone was merely attached to a battery device to extend its life.

The man had entered the store through an unlocked front door before the store was scheduled to open at 11 a.m. He looked at some puppies, asked if the store had rescue dogs, left his device on the counter and left in a burgundy-colored car.

The incident isn't the first odd one at the store, which has been targeted by animal rights groups and groups concerned with humane treatment of animals for selling puppies from what the groups call inhumane "puppy mills."

On Jan. 15, Norwalk resident Anouk Govil was charged with vandalism after the business's glass front door was smashed and Govil was found nearby with a rock -- at 2:41 a.m.

She told police -- repeatedly -- that she was trying "to set the puppies free." There is no evidence that the woman is associated in any way with local animal rights groups or humane animal groups.

Norwalk police say they would like to find the man wearing red lipstick, speak with him -- and give him back his cell phone.