Local prosecutors in Georgia initially declined to file charges against Aldridge; the federal indictment comes after a U.S. attorney’s office investigation.
GEORGIA, — The Camden County Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a wrongfully convicted man in 2023 was indicted on 13 federal charges Thursday, including civil rights violations and falsifying reports, in connection to multiple use-of-force incidents.
This comes six months after a district attorney decided to not pursue criminal charges against Buck Aldridge for the violent traffic stop in which he fatally shot Leonard Cure, who was killed just three years after serving 16 years for a crime he did not commit.
Dashcam footage showed Aldridge chasing Cure on Interstate 95 and escalating the encounter with loud, aggressive commands. Moments later, the situation spiraled from a speeding violation to a physical struggle—ending in Aldridge fatally shooting Cure.
“The verbal commands that were given right away were just poor,” Mark Baughman said. Baughman is First Coast News’ crime and safety expert who spent 35 years in law enforcement. “He’s screaming, he’s almost like taking this personally. There were plenty of other ways to handle a traffic stop.”
Baughman emphasized that Cure’s attempts to question the stop, seen in the video, weren’t unlawful.
While local prosecutors in Georgia initially declined to file charges against Aldridge, the federal indictment comes after a lengthy investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“You’re talking 18 months later—they’re going to charge him. So they did their due diligence,” Baughman said.
The indictment outlines four separate incidents where Aldridge allegedly used excessive force and later submitted misleading reports to justify his actions. The DOJ’s charges suggest a pattern of behavior—one that critics say should have disqualified him from serving in law enforcement.
It’s unclear if the traffic stop involving Cure was one of the incidents the indictment refers to.
Records show Aldridge was fired from the Kingsland Police Department in 2017 for multiple policy violations, including excessive force. He was hired by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office less than a year later.
“He lacked professionalism from the very get-go,” Baughman added. “From the time he pulled Cure over to the moment he fired the fatal shot.”
According to the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, Aldridge was relieved of his duties Thursday morning.
If convicted on the federal charges, he faces up to 10 years for each civil rights violation, and up to 20 years for each false report.
The family of Leonard Cure, along with civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Harry Daniels, and the NAACP, will hold a press conference Friday at noon in Brunswick to respond to the indictment.
First Coast News will stream the event live on FCN+.
