June 13 (UPI) -- The owner of a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic is facing an involuntary homicide charge after 236 people died because the roof collapsed during a concert in April, prosecutors announced.
Antonio Espaillat, whose family also owns a chain of radio stations, was questioned by the attorney general's office in the capital, Santo Domingo, on Thursday, The New York Times reported. He then was detained, his lawyer, Jorge Luis Polanco, said.
Also arrested on the same charge was his sister Maribel Espaillat, who helped manage the club Jet Set. Authorities have 48 hours to seek charges before a judge.
He was arrested after a club employee gave authorities evidence that showed he had warned the club's owners that they should cancel the concert on April 8 because the roof was in such poor condition and had been repeatedly repaired.
"Both defendants displayed immense irresponsibility and negligence by failing to physically intervene to prevent the club's roof from collapsing, as it ultimately did, causing 236 deaths and more than 180 injuries," the attorney general's office said in a statement obtained by MSN. Also, the office also said they tried to "manipulate or intimidate" employees as potential witnesses.
