PHOENIX (AP) - Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio is expected to testify Wednesday at a malicious-prosecution trial that centers on a now-dismissed animal cruelty case he brought against one of Sen. Jeff Flake’s sons.
Austin Flake and his then-wife Logan Brown were charged with animal cruelty in the 2014 deaths of 21 dogs at a kennel operated by the younger Flake’s in-laws.
The Flakes were watching the dogs while the in-laws were in Florida.
The dogs died of heat exhaustion when the kennel’s air conditioner failed.
The lawsuit alleges that Arpaio pursued charges against the couple to garner publicity.
The case against the Flakes was dismissed at the request of prosecutors, and the owners of the kennel pleaded guilty to charges after an expert determined the air conditioner failed because it wasn’t properly maintained.
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