The case against a former Pinal County Sheriff's Office deputy accused of engaging in sex acts with a 15-year-old has been dismissed.
The Pinal County Attorney's Office said Tuesday a judge had remanded the case against Scott Strobel back to the grand jury. A motion filed by Strobel's legal team argued prosecutors "improperly influenced the grand jury and infected the deliberation process."
His lawyers argued the testimony presented to the members of the grand jury was false and did not include "clearly" exculpatory evidence, according to court documents.
A judge agreed with the defense's arguments, forcing the county attorney's office to back through the grand jury process should prosecutors want an indictment against Strobel.
Earlier this year, Strobel was accused of having sex with a 15-year-old boy in 2004 and 2005. At the time investigators began looking into the case, Strobel was serving as a school resource officer at Poston Butte High School.
Authorities said the case was not connected to his work at the school, though they said he and the victim knew each other.
