Arkansas sheriff candidate who killed daughter's accused abuser to not face murder charge
(GERMANY OUT) gavel, hammer and book (Photo by Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
A man, who is in the running to be the sheriff of an Arkansas county, will not be facing murder charges in the death of his daughter’s alleged abuser.
Aaron Spencer, the Republican nominee for sheriff in Lonoke County, was set to face charges after he admitted to shooting and killing a man who sexually abused his young daughter, according to court documents.
The backstory:
In 2024, Spencer woke up in his home to find his daughter missing, only to later find her in a vehicle being driven by Michael Fosler, 67, who at the time was already out on bond after previous charges of sexual offenses against Spencer’s 13-year-old daughter.
Spencer, in his own vehicle, caught up to Fosler and forced him off the road. In an ensuing altercation, Fosler was shot and killed.
Prosecutors say Spencer planned to kill Fosler the whole time, saying that he could have called police while he was in pursuit. Spencer maintains that he acted to protect his child from a sexual predator.
The dismissal of the charge
A dash camera may have caught the whole altercation on camera, but the memory card was lost by law enforcement in charge of collecting evidence. According to court records, the camera’s battery drained after the internal settings were not saved properly causing the camera to factory reset.
Additionally, the memory card was missing from the camera when it arrived at the state’s attorney generals office. The detective collecting the evidence admitted to not logging it right away and storing it in his office instead of the evidence room, according to court records.
Spencer’s attorney, Erin Cassinelli, filed a motion to dismiss the charge and the motion was granted by Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr.
What they're saying:
"The court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted," Wilson wrote.
Cassinelli released a statement thanking the court’s decision.
"No member of this family should ever again be forced to walk into a courtroom and relive this horror," she said in a statement. "This father should have never been charged for protecting his child."
Candidate for sheriff
Spencer entered into the race for sheriff of Lonoke County while he was awaiting trial after being charged for Fosler’s death. He received more than 53% of the vote, beating out incumbent Sheriff John Staley.
According to Spencer’s website, he’s running to restore thrush in law enforcement in efforts to make sure "no family in Lonoke County ever faces the failures his family did."
The Source: This story was written with information provided by The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.