State to drop charges in Ariz. freeway shooting case

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PHOENIX ? Prosecutors have moved to drop charges against Leslie Merritt Jr., the suspect accused in a string of freeway shootings last summer.

The motion to dismiss was filed late Friday by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. The motion was made without prejudice, which means that a new case may be brought in the future.

Merritt was released from jail Tuesday after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge reduced his bond to zero from $150,000 and required him to wear an ankle monitor.

Superior Court Judge Warren Granville's ruling came in response to a sealed motion filed by Merritt's defense attorneys. The motion was based in part on an independent review of the ballistics, Merritt's attorneys said, which called into question some of the evidence tying their client to the shootings.

"There?s no evidence against him," defense attorney Jason Lamm told Granville at the hearing. ?He?s no more the I-10 shooter than you are."

Contacted Friday, Lamm declined further comment. "We are actually on a gag order until the judge officially announces it," he said.

There have been no other arrests tied to the shootings. Merritt, 21, had faced 15 charges, including drive-by shooting and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Gov. Doug Ducey and Col. Frank Milstead, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, could not immediately be reached for comment.

State to drop charges in Ariz. freeway shooting case

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