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.
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Chimpanzee mauled and blinded a Connecticut woman earlier this year
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Owner was not aware of the risk the chimpanzee posed, state's attorney says
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Criminal prosecution would have had to determine that owner acted recklessly
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In March, Charla Nash filed a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages from the owner
Furthermore, Herold had never had any problems with @placeholder in the past.