{"id":3669,"date":"2026-06-05T19:31:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=3669"},"modified":"2026-06-05T19:31:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:31:39","slug":"arkansas-sheriff-candidate-who-killed-daughters-accused-abuser-to-not-face-murder-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=3669","title":{"rendered":"Arkansas sheriff candidate who killed daughter’s accused abuser to not face murder charge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n article<\/span><\/div>

(GERMANY OUT) gavel, hammer and book (Photo by Wodicka\/ullstein bild via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>

Read more Brazos County official arrested after Texas Rangers investigation<\/a><\/p> <\/div><\/div> <\/div>

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\u2019s alleged abuser.\u00a0<\/p>

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.\u00a0<\/p>

The backstory:<\/p>

<\/div>

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\u2019s 13-year-old daughter.\u00a0<\/p>

Spencer, in his own vehicle, caught up to Fosler and forced him off the road. In an ensuing altercation, Fosler was shot and killed.<\/p>

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.\u00a0<\/p>

The dismissal of the charge<\/h2>

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\u2019s battery drained after the internal settings were not saved properly causing the camera to factory reset.\u00a0<\/p>

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Additionally, the memory card was missing from the camera when it arrived at the state\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>

Spencer\u2019s attorney, Erin Cassinelli, filed a motion to dismiss the charge and the motion was granted by Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr.\u00a0<\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“The court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted,” Wilson wrote.<\/p>

Cassinelli released a statement thanking the court\u2019s decision.\u00a0<\/p>

“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.”<\/p>

Candidate for sheriff<\/h2>

Spencer entered into the race for sheriff of Lonoke County while he was awaiting trial after being charged for Fosler\u2019s death. He received more than 53% of the vote, beating out incumbent Sheriff John Staley.\u00a0<\/p>

According to Spencer\u2019s website, he\u2019s running to restore thrush in law enforcement in efforts to make sure “no family in Lonoke County ever faces the failures his family did.”<\/p>

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\u00a0<\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s alleged abuser.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[146,2,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-u-s"],"yoast_head":"\nArkansas sheriff candidate who killed daughter's accused abuser to not face murder charge - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=3669\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Arkansas sheriff candidate who killed daughter's accused abuser to not face murder charge - 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