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
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- 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