The legal proceedings against an Arkansas sheriff’s candidate, who was involved in a high-profile incident where he killed a man accused of raping and kidnapping his daughter, have been dismissed due to a significant error by the police.
Aaron Spencer, aged 37, secured the Republican nomination for the position of Lonoke County Sheriff while awaiting trial for the fatal shooting of the man accused of sexually assaulting his 14-year-old daughter.
Spencer openly admitted to shooting Michael Fosler, 67, in October 2024 after finding him with his daughter. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, asserting that his actions were in defense of his child.
At the time of the incident, Fosler was out on a $50,000 bail and was facing 43 criminal charges related to the girl. These charges included internet stalking of a child, sexual assault, sexual indecency with a child, and possession of child pornography.
This past Thursday, a judge decided to dismiss the case against Spencer, citing the loss of a crucial dash camera memory card from Fosler’s truck by law enforcement. This card might have recorded the events of the shooting.
“The court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted,” the judge stated in his ruling.
Spencer, who made his experience with law enforcement central to his campaign, said he is grateful this chapter is over.
‘There’s still work to do in Lonoke County, and I’m more committed to it than ever,’ he said in a statement. ‘Together we can build a safer and stronger Lonoke County.’
Aaron Spencer, 37, won the GOP nomination for Lonoke County Sheriff while awaiting trial for fatally shooting the man accused of sexually assaulting his 14-year-old daughter
Spencer admitted to shooting and killing Michael Fosler, 67, in October 2024 after discovering the man with his daughter
Court documents show that on the night of the shooting, Spencer and his wife, Heather Spencer, 38, had woken up and discovered their daughter was missing.
The parents called 911 but soon began searching the area themselves after realizing their daughter may have been with Fosler – a man police say was the boyfriend of a family friend who had previously groomed and raped the girl.
Fosler had been arrested months earlier in July 2024 on charges including rape and internet stalking of a child but was later released on bond despite a no-contact order barring him from contacting the teenager.
After driving roughly 10 miles, Spencer spotted Fosler’s vehicle with their daughter in the passenger seat, according to court documents.
The father made a U-turn and pursued the vehicle, eventually rear-ending it and forcing it off the road.
Spencer later told police he saw his daughter attempting to escape before Fosler grabbed her.
He ordered the man to get out of the car, but Fosler allegedly lunged toward him while shouting ‘f**k you,’ though authorities have not confirmed whether Fosler was armed.
Moments later, Spencer opened fire until he ran out of bullets, then jumped on the man and pistol-whipped him, according to police.
Spencer pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, insisting he was protecting his child
The case was dismissed on Thursday because a dash camera memory card from Fosler’s truck that may have captured the shooting was lost by law enforcement
Spencer will be on the ballot in November to lead the same sheriff’s department that arrested him after beating the local three-term sheriff in the primary in March
He then called 911 and reported that his daughter’s kidnapper was ‘dead on the side of the road,’ saying he had ‘no choice’ but to shoot him.
Prosecutors initially charged Spencer with first-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced to second-degree murder.
Spencer’s attorneys filed the motion seeking to have the case dismissed, contending that video and audio of the dash camera from Fosler’s truck may have contained evidence that would have cleared Spencer of any wrongdoing.
According to court records, a detective with the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office removed the dash camera from the truck when responding to the scene of the shooting.
But the camera’s internal settings were not preserved, the battery drained, and as a result, the camera reverted to its default settings.
When the camera was sent to the attorney general’s office for a forensic exam, the memory card it contained when it was collected from the truck was missing.
The detective who collected the camera later admitted that it was not logged into evidence right away, but was instead stored in his personal office rather than the evidence room, according to court records.
Spencer will be on the ballot in November to lead the same sheriff’s department that arrested him after beating the local three-term sheriff in the primary in March.
