Sgt. Buck Aldridge, 42, has been charged with federal civil rights violations due to allegations of using excessive force and fabricating documents to support his actions, according to an indictment.
CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. — The sergeant from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, who fatally shot a previously exonerated individual during a traffic stop in 2023, is now indicted for federal civil rights breaches linked to excessive force and record falsification, as announced by the Department of Justice on Thursday.
A 13-count indictment was issued by a federal grand jury on Thursday, accusing current CCSO Sgt. Buck Aldridge, 42, of depriving rights under the guise of law and falsifying records, stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
The indictment claims that Aldridge applied excessive force against individuals during arrests on four different occasions, subsequently altering multiple reports from the sheriff’s office to rationalize his forceful actions.
“Law enforcement officers have the responsibility to enforce the law, not violate it,” stated FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “Upon breach of this trust, the FBI will take action. No badge exempts anyone from the Constitution. We are dedicated to probing civil rights violations and ensuring those who misuse their power are held accountable.”
Aldridge was fired from the sheriff’s office effective immediately, the agency said in a statement Thursday following Aldridge’s indictment.
Sheriff Kevin Chane remarked, “The Camden County Sheriff’s Office is devoted to transparency and responsibility at all levels. It’s our mission to serve the residents of Camden County with integrity and professionalism.”
Aldridge shot, killed man wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years
Oct. 16, 2023, Aldridge pulled over 53-year-old Leonard Cure for speeding on Interstate 95. Aldridge ordered Cure out of his vehicle and shocked him with a stun gun when he refused to put his hands behind his back.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation noted that Cure complied with Aldridge’s demands until he learned he was being arrested.
Dashcam video of the incident showed Cure lunging at the deputy, making swatting motions seemingly to remove the wire from the stun gun, and a struggle ensued between them, spilling onto the outside lane of I-95. The video showed Cure had his hand on Aldridge’s throat before he was shot point-blank.
Cure was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years in Florida for a 2003 armed robbery in Broward County that he didn’t commit. He was fully exonerated in 2020 after an ATM receipt proved that Cure was miles away from the crime scene at the time of the robbery.
Just two months before his death, Cure received compensation from the state for the time he lost while wrongfully incarcerated. Loved ones said Cure planned to go back to college with the funds.
In February, Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins announced that he wouldn’t be seeking criminal charges against Aldridge for Cure’s death.
Cure’s death sparked national criticism and got the attention of civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, who represented Cure’s family in a 2024 federal lawsuit against Aldridge. The lawsuit remains active, and court records show a jury trial is slated for Feb. 3, 2026.
Cure’s family and attorneys, Crump and Daniels, will hold a press conference Friday alongside the Camden County NAACP in Brunswick to speak about Aldridge’s federal indictment. The press conference will be held at 12 p.m. Friday in front of the Frank M. Scarlett Federal Building, located at 05 Gloucester St. in Brunswick.
Aldridge fired from Kingsland Police Department for violating policy
Aldridge was fired from the Kingsland Police Department in 2017 for violating two agency policies: Use of Necessary and Appropriate Force and On/Off Duty Conduct policies. He had been employed with the police department for less than five years.
His employee records, obtained by First Coast News in 2023, stated that Aldridge was first disciplined in 2014 for using “unnecessary force on an individual during the course of a traffic stop to take the person into custody based on the belief that probable cause existed for a crime that was occurring.”
Aldridge was ordered by a supervisor to attend mandatory training on communication skill building and was re-trained and counseled on properly conducting a traffic stop and probable cause for resisting arrest, the records state.
He was also reprimanded in June 2016 for driving too close behind a suspect vehicle.
Then, in April 2017, Aldridge was placed on administrative leave for “alleged misconduct,” but it was unclear what the misconduct was. After an internal investigation, the city manager suspended Aldridge without pay for three days and recommended a 12-month probationary period. Four months later, he was fired.
Aldridge now facing decades in prison
Prosecutors said Aldridge faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for each federal civil rights violation and 20 years for each false report.
If convicted, a federal district judge will determine his sentence.
The FBI Brunswick Field Office is continuing to investigate the case.
