A Pinal County sheriff's deputy who survived a purported shootout with drug smugglers and an investigation to determine whether his dramatic tale was true has been suspended because of statements quoted in a weekly tabloid.

Pinal County deputy lashes out at doubters of shooting incident

Experts question account

Deputy describes shootout in interview

Deputy Louie Puroll was placed on administrative leave Wednesday by Sheriff Paul Babeu, based on a Phoenix New Times article that quotes the deputy claiming he had participated in even more dangerous gunbattles in the desert west of Casa Grande.

At one point in the article, Puroll allegedly told reporter Paul Rubin he was "lucky to be alive" because an acquaintance had offered to murder the journalist in retaliation for a previous report challenging the deputy's integrity.

"It's very concerning and troubling to me," Babeu said of the news report. "It is going to be dealt with."

Puroll suffered a minor flesh wound in April during what he characterized as an ambush by armed drug smugglers he was tracking through the isolated Vekol Valley about 45 miles south of Phoenix. Portions of the shootout were recorded in a 911 call that the deputy made while allegedly exchanging fire with several subjects.

The shooting occurred at the height of this year's nationwide political uproar over illegal immigration and Arizona's controversial enforcement measure known as Senate Bill 1070. In the aftermath, however, some law enforcement experts and journalists questioned Puroll's account, based on a number of discrepancies.

For example, expended cartridges at the scene did not match the deputy's description of events. And more than 100 law officers, supported by helicopters and tracking dogs, failed to locate the suspected smugglers or their marijuana loads.

New Times articles were among the most critical of Puroll, referring to him as "Pinalcchio." In the latest story, Puroll reportedly told Rubin that he'd been in other shootouts that made the Vekol Valley event seem "like eating lunch at Dairy Queen."

At another juncture, he allegedly claimed to have been approached several times in a Casa Grande restaurant by Mexican cartel operatives wanting to "do business."

Finally, according to the tabloid, Puroll claimed he had rejected a friend's offer to murder Rubin because of previous articles. Babeu said all of those incidents, if true, should have been reported to command staff within the Sheriff's Office, yet there is no record of that happening. Puroll and Rubin could not be reached for comment.

Babeu said Rubin agreed to be interviewed by deputies, but the extent of his cooperation remains unclear. While acknowledging that the alleged statements raise new questions about the deputy's credibility, Babeu said he remains completely convinced that Puroll was truthful about the purported gunbattle in April because of corroborating evidence and his knowledge of drug trafficking in the area.

For that reason, he said, investigations of the saga will not be reopened.