Man cleared of charges in 2015 shooting spree along I-10 files complaint against ex-DPS chief

Leslie Merritt Jr., whom authorities named as a suspect in the 2015 Interstate 10 shootings and whose charges were dismissed, has filed a legal complaint against the former head of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, according to recently filed court documents.

Between August and September 2015, 11 shootings impacted drivers on I-10, leaving one juvenile injured by broken glass.

The shootings made Valley residents avoid freeways that summer, as overhead traffic signs listed a number to report I-10 shooter tips, leading to thousands of inquiries for police. Officials originally referred to the shootings as domestic terrorism. DPS eventually created a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Merritt was once considered the prime suspect, but a faulty investigation and allegations of forced coercion led a Maricopa County judge to reject Merritt's charges as the shooting suspect in April 2016. Merritt spent seven months in jail before he was released.

On June 23, former DPS Director Frank Milstead appeared on 12 News' "Sunday Square Off," a televised interview in his 2024 campaign for Maricopa County sheriff, taking questions about his history as a "career cop," reporter Brahm Resnik said.

"Leslie Merritt, in my opinion, is still the freeway shooter, we had the right guy in custody," said Milstead, when prompted about the freeway shootings, touting his experience as the former head of DPS during that time. Milstead retired from DPS in 2020.

A complaint filed on July 2 on behalf of Merritt by his attorney, Jason Lamm, alleged Milstead intentionally made false statements perpetuating allegations against Merritt, causing "anguish, distress, and humiliation," for the already exonerated suspect, the court documents read.

"We have a good basis to file a claim," Lamm said on Thursday.

Milstead acknowledged in the televised interview that ballistics tests were performed incorrectly and a better job could have been done for the investigation's first interviews.

"I was very new to the agency and was unfamiliar with all of the talent that existed," said Milstead in the interview.

The legal complaint detailed that Merritt was never re-charged after his release. In August 2020, Merritt was found factually innocent and to have been wrongfully arrested, according to the court documents.

Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who appointed Milstead, was also quick to name Merritt the guilty suspect when he posted "We got him!" on the social platform X, formerly Twitter, only five minutes after a SWAT team initially arrested Merritt.

Merritt's attorney sought compensation for Merritt's emotional damage resulting from Milstead's alleged false claims, along with all legal costs associated with a successful trial.

This wasn't Merritt's first claim about injustice against officials responsible for his arrest and imprisonment. In 2018, Merritt was paid $100,000 for legal claims against then-Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery's office.

In November 2020, a Maricopa County jury found the state of Arizona not liable for Merritt's claim of false arrest.

Since the first shooting more than nine years ago, no one but Merritt had been arrested for the I-10 shootings.

Milstead's campaign office did not immediately respond to The Arizona Republic's request for comment on the complaint.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man cleared of I-10 shootings files claim against sheriff candidate