PHOENIX (AP) — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio refused during a recent deposition to accept responsibility for bringing a failed animal cruelty case against the college-age son of U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake.
Austin Flake alleges in a lawsuit that Arpaio trumped up animal cruelty charges against him over the heat-exhaustion deaths of 21 dogs at a kennel operated by his in-laws.
Flake and his then-wife were in charge of the dogs while the in-laws were out of town.
The in-laws initially said the animals died after a dog chewed through an air conditioning wire.
An expert later determined the AC unit failed because it wasn’t properly maintained.
Charges against the couple were dropped.
A copy of the July 14 depositions was publicly released this week by Flake’s lawyer.