How were the charges against Tully in Wyoming dropped?

Thelma Barston ens up running for Congress as a conservative. Sammy Raye digs up some dirt about a past affair and threatens to expose Thelma's secret if she doesn't drop the charges. A very angry Thelma hops on her snowmobile and runs over the pink flamingos that used to be in front of Tully's trailer. When she fires her shotgun, the sound triggers an avalanche and she is killed making Tully a free man.