Police have opted to drop felony charges against Sen. Jeff Flake‘s (R-Ariz.) son for the deaths of 21 dogs at a Phoenix kennel in June.
The pooches perished from overheating and suffocation, according to a recent report by Reuters.
A grand jury convened and learned that an air conditioning unit at the facility was broken.
The original charge had found neglect to the be the cause of the deaths. But defense lawyers persuaded prosecutors that the faulty air conditioning unit was the actual cause.
Austin Flake and his wife, Logan, originally faced 22 felony counts apiece. In June, reports surfaced that Flake and his wife were responsible for 17 dogs at a boarding house when one of the dogs chewed through a power cord that connected to an air conditioning unit. At the time, some of the owners were allegedly told that their dogs had ran away.
Sen. Flake released a statement at that point, saying that he couldn’t imagine the “devastating loss” the families were enduring. “My heart goes out to the owners who lost their beloved pets,” he said.
Not surprisingly, the pet owners are not pleased and “stunned” by the news.
A county attorney said new charges could emerge.