A Connecticut woman who owned a chimpanzee that mauled and blinded a woman won't be charged because there's no evidence she knowingly disregarded any risk the animal posed, a prosecutor said Monday.

State's Attorney David Cohen said it wasn't evident that Sandra Herold of Stamford had been deliberately reckless in handling the animal. He said state officials did not share their safety concerns about the chimpanzee with Herold and did not enforce a permitting requirement.

The 200-pound chimpanzee went berserk in February after Herold asked Charla Nash to help lure him back into her house. The animal ripped off Nash's hands, nose, lips and eyelids.

Cohen said that there was no record of the animal attacking anyone previously, and that it had interacted with Nash many times before the attack.

The decision not to file charges "does not in any way minimize the horror that we all feel with what occurred and with the horrendous injuries suffered by Ms. Nash," Cohen said. "Our prayers go out to her and her family."

Nash, who revealed her heavily disfigured face last month on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," remains in stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic.

Nash's family said they understood the decision and are "at peace" with it. They said it does not affect the civil lawsuits that are pending.

"A criminal prosecution could not undo what happened to Charla nor would it provide any measure of relief or assistance to her," the family said in a statement issued through their attorney, Matt Newman. "The family remains focused on what is most important, and that is the continued care and rehabilitation of Charla."

Herold welcomed the decision. She said her ownership of Travis complied with state and local laws.

"Ms. Herold maintains that the tragic events that took place on February 16, 2009, were unforeseeable to her," her attorney, Robert Golger, said in a statement. "She wishes the best for Charla and her family."

Nash's family is suing Herold for $50 million and wants to sue the state for $150 million. Nash's family has said Herold was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control "a wild animal with violent propensities."

A biologist for the state Department of Environmental Protection warned officials before the attack that Travis could seriously hurt someone if he felt threatened, noting that he was large and strong.

But Cohen said Monday there's no evidence those concerns were conveyed to Herold. "She was thus never made aware of the danger posed by keeping the chimpanzee in a residential area," he said.

He also said DEP did not enforce a permit required after the law was changed in 2004 that limited exemptions to primates not weighing more than 50 pounds.