A judge has refused to dismiss criminal charges against a South Jersey police officer accused of striking a handcuffed teenage girl on camera.
Gloucester Township Officer John Flinn has been suspended since the incident last spring.
On Friday his attorney argued that charges of child endangerment and official misconduct should be dismissed because prosecutors misled grand jurors on state policy governing the use of force.
NJ.com reports the judge concluded jurors were adequately instructed.
Flinn was sent to investigate a disturbance March 8 and encountered the 13-year-old girl
Prosecutors said the juvenile complied with police instructions and allowed Flinn to handcuff her, but that he struck her twice on the side of the face.
The incident was captured on police body cameras. (Here's the full video. A warning that some may find it disturbing.)
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Flinn's attorney didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.
