The son of outgoing Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake will seek a new civil trial against Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff who was recently pardoned by President Trump and is running for the Senate seat Flake is vacating.
Austin Flake and his ex-wife lost a lawsuit in December 2017 that alleged Arpaio brought felony animal cruelty charges against them because he was politically motivated.
The attorney for the younger Flake and his ex-wife Logan Brown told the Associated Press he will seek a new civil trial because authorities did not turn over evidence that would have swayed the jury in his clients’ favor.
The two were originally charged in a case that was later dismissed relating to the 2014 deaths of 21 dogs they were caring for while Austin Flake’s in-laws were out of town. The air conditioning in the room they were staying in stopped working, leading to their deaths.
An expert determined the kennel owners did not properly maintain the air conditioner, and owners eventually pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges.
Arpaio, who was pardoned in August, announced in January his candidacy to replace Jeff Flake in the Senate. In July 2017, he was convicted of criminal contempt.
Flake, a Republican, has been a vocal critic of Trump, and announced in October that he would not seek re-election in 2018.
