Left: Aaron Spencer (GiveSendGo). Right: in a mug shot after his arrest (Lonoke County Sheriff”s Office).
An Arkansas man, accused of avenging his daughter’s alleged assault by her supposed attacker, is now aiming to run for the top law enforcement position in the same county where his legal situation is still unfolding.
Aaron Spencer, 37, faces charges of second-degree murder for the death of 67-year-old Michael Fosler in October 2024 in Lonoke County, Arkansas. While battling these charges, he has launched a bid for the position of Lonoke County Sheriff.
“Hello Lonoke, I’m Aaron Spencer,” he introduced himself through a video regarding his candidacy. “Many of you are familiar with my story. I’m the parent who took action to defend his child when the system did not.”
The Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office reported that the incident took place on October 8, 2024, when deputies initially responded to a report of a missing child at a home on Highway 236 East. Shortly thereafter, information emerged that Spencer had allegedly shot and killed Fosler amid a “confrontation” after discovering his daughter “in a vehicle” with Fosler.
Spencer, who is both a farmer and a former military member, is currently out on bail while his case continues. He believes that the criminal justice system has let him down.
“I can’t stand by idly as others encounter these same system failures,” he stated. “… This campaign is not solely about me. It concerns every parent, every neighbor, and every family who merits the assurance of safety in their homes and community. It’s centered on rebuilding confidence, ensuring that residents know law enforcement supports them, and families can rely on not being abandoned in crucial times.”
It’s unclear whether Spencer officially filed paperwork for his candidacy.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Spencer’s wife Heather started a GiveSendGo campaign and revealed the couple’s then 13-year-old daughter several months prior was allegedly “targeted, groomed and ultimately raped by the boyfriend of a family friend” — Fosler — after he got the child’s phone number. Though Fosler faced pending felony charges and reportedly a “no contact order,” he nonetheless contacted the minor victim while he was out on bond, per Heather.
“We let the justice system do its job. The monster who hurt our child was charged quickly, but released even faster on a $50k bond. He was awaiting court in December for several felonies in relation to what he did to our child,” the mother said.
Calling her husband a “hero,” Heather Spencer said the arrest was “outrageous.” She said the 911 call to report their daughter missing was made after they woke up to the sound of the girl’s dog barking.
“This is unusual and caused us to check on her. In that moment we lived every parents biggest fear as we realized our teen child was missing,” Heather’s post said. “We frantically searched our home/property and started calling friends, family, and 911. My husband immediately got into his truck to go blindly searching for our child.”
Heather said that her husband managed to find Fosler “driving on our road with our minor child in the vehicle” and a collision followed.
“As soon as the predator knew my husband was behind him, he ran. The chase ended in an accident. Aaron was able to retrieve our child alive, but in the process he was attacked and did what he had to do to protect himself and our minor child,” the mother said. “He is now facing an outrageous murder 1 charge.”
“I have no doubt our child would have not come home if my husband hadn’t found her,” she added.
In a follow-up video two days after the shooting, Sheriff John Staley called the case a “tragic situation” and said his “thoughts and prayers are with all of those involved.”
Staley noted that it will be up to the Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to decide whether or not to actually file charges against Spencer.
In separate remarks to USA Today, Staley said Spencer’s arrest does not mean that the sheriff’s office is backing a predator.
“We’re in consultation with the prosecuting attorney about what to do in this preliminary stage,” Staley reportedly said. “All my deputies and investigators knew at that time is there’s a deceased man, a 14-year-old that was in the truck with him, and a dad saying ‘Hey, I stopped him for this.'”
