PHOENIX (AP) -- Two firefighters and a former firefighter arrested in a five-month arson investigation have been released from jail, authorities said Thursday.
Bill FitzGerald, a spokesman for Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, said Joseph Avey, 34, Darryl Lanning, 43, and Christopher Bishop, 36, were released from county jail because authorities did not have a complete report on the case.
``We are the only ones who can charge them. We only had 48 hours but we did not have the complete report within that time,'' FitzGerald said.
He said the case has been sent back to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who had called a news conference May 18 to announce the arrests in the fire that destroyed a $1.5 million home under construction.
Arpaio said he still believes there will be formal charges in the case.
``We're still developing the investigation ... This is a normal way of doing business when you have a complex investigation,'' he said.
Others are under investigation and more charges could be filed, he said.
Arpaio has said previously the trio burned the 10,000-square-foot home at the behest of another firefighter, who worked for the suburb of Peoria and ran a construction business as a second job.
The contractor conspired with firefighters Avey and Bishop and former firefighter Lanning because the family building the home hadn't paid him in full, Arpaio said. The contractor-firefighter was never arrested.
The home was nearing the end of construction when it was destroyed in December.
