New York ( CNN ) -- Criminal charges will not be filed against the owner of a chimpanzee that mauled and blinded a Connecticut woman earlier this year , according to Connecticut State 's Attorney David Cohen . At a news conference Monday , Cohen explained that criminal prosecution against Sandra Herold , 77 , was not warranted because she was not aware of the risk her pet posed . On February 16 , Herold had called her friend Charla Nash , 55 , for help in getting her pet chimpanzee Travis back inside her house after he used a key to escape . When Nash arrived at the Stamford home of her friend , the chimp , who had been featured in TV commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy , jumped on her and began biting and mauling her , causing serious injuries to her face , neck and hands . Police shot Travis to halt the attack and he later died of gunshot wounds . Cohen explained that the dangers of keeping a pet chimpanzee were never fully explained to Herold by the Connecticut State Department of Environmental Protection . While the agency was aware that the chimpanzee was living with Herold , there is no evidence that they ever reached out to her to detail why the primate posed a threat to her and others in the community . Furthermore , Herold had never had any problems with Travis in the past . Although Travis had escaped once before in 2003 and `` wreaked havoc '' on the streets of Stamford for a couple of hours , the chimp had never exhibited any violent behavior , especially towards Nash , with whom he had interacted with regularly . Nash , Cohen stated , had specifically been called that day because Herold thought she could help in controlling the escaped chimpanzee . In the state of Connecticut , criminal prosecution would have to determine that Herold acted recklessly , disregarding the risk that Travis would attack and cause serious injuries to another person . Because of the chimp 's familiarity with Nash , his previously placid behavior and the lack of contact by the Department of Environmental Protection , Cohen determined that Herold would not be held criminally responsible for the attack . `` This does not in any way minimize the horror that we all feel with what occurred and with the horrendous injuries suffered , '' he said . `` Our prayers go out to the family and to the victim . '' In March , shortly after the attack , the family of Charla Nash filed a lawsuit seeking $ 50 million in damages from the owner of the primate . The court papers , filed in Stamford Superior Court in Connecticut , alleged that the owner was liable for the attack , negligent and reckless in her ownership of a wild animal . Following the attack , Nash was transported to the famed Cleveland Clinic , where the nation 's first face transplant was performed . In a written statement the Cleveland Clinic said that Nash had lost her nose , upper and lower lips , eyelids and both her hands in the attack , as well as the `` bony structures in her mid-face . '' The attack has raised questions about whether exotic animals should be kept as pets . Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has stated that primates and crocodiles should be added to a state list of animals citizens are not allowed to own . When asked if there was anything to be learned from the attack , Cohen said , `` I think the public will have to draw their own lessons from what was a very tragic incident . ''
Chimpanzee mauled and blinded a Connecticut woman earlier this year . Owner was not aware of the risk the chimpanzee posed , state 's attorney says . Criminal prosecution would have had to determine that owner acted recklessly . Comment: