The criminal case against a Gloucester Township police officer who struck a 13-year-old girl will go forward after a judge rejected his motion to dismiss three indictments.

John Flinn, 27, of Sicklerville was called to a "disturbance" in Gloucester Township March 8, where he struck a girl twice on the side of her face and pushed her head down while trying to handcuff her, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said. She was never charged.

The prosecutor's office said she was complying and allowing him to cuff her when he struck her. Body camera footage that was released in April sparked outrage.

Gloucester Township Police Chief Harry Earle suspended Flinn after the incident and notified the prosecutor's office, which charged him with simple assault in April 6. On Aug. 18 a grand jury indicted him on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of official misconduct.

Flinn's attorney, Louis Barbone, argued in Superior Court in Camden Friday that the indictments should be dismissed because the grand jury was misled.

Gloucester Township Officer John Flinn, right, stands in Superior Court in Camden with his attorney, Louis Barbone, left, Friday, Nov. 16, 2018.

He said the assistant prosecutor presenting the case to the grand jury read selective parts of the Attorney General's use of force policy in the hopes that grand jurors would not pick up on the fact that it allows an officer to use the force that he or she believes is reasonably necessary to make an arrest. But Judge Edward McBride ruled that the jurors were well instructed in the statute that governs use of force.

McBride also rejected Barbone's argument that the jury might have been confused by a detective who testified before the grand jury that the girl was cuffed before Flinn struck her. The video shows that he is in the middle of cuffing her.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Angela M. Seixas told McBride that the grand jurors watched the video repeatedly because it was the key piece of evidence.

"This was one of those times when you bring it into the grand jury and press play," she said.

Flinn, who has been on the force since 2015, will be in court Dec. 10 for a final case disposition conference. Barbone declined to comment after the hearing.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips