LAWERNCE, Kan. (AP) — The state has dismissed charges against a former University of Kansas researcher who is accused of using his university discount to buy scientific equipment, which he allegedly sent to China.

However, a motion filed Tuesday to dismiss the charges against Liuqi Gu, 38, indicates the case could be refiled. The motion filed by Assistant Attorney General Paul Brothers said the state was seeking a dismissal to conduct further investigation because of "recent developments" in the case, The Lawrence Journal-World reported.

Gu was a postdoctoral student working as a technician at the university' Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Laboratory. He was charged in December 2019 with four felonies, including theft, and two misdemeanors.

An evidentiary hearing in the case was scheduled for Thursday.

Prosecutors allege Gu used his university discount to receive steep price reductions on 28 purchases of scientific equipment from Thermo-Fisher Scientific. He allegedly indicated the equipment would be used at Kansas but instead shipped it to China.

He also allegedly avoided paying sales taxes between $25,000 and $100,000.

Gu was released from the Douglas County Jail on a $100,000 bond about a week after he was arrested. He also was banned from the Kansas campus.