Judge dismisses murder charge against sheriff nominee who killed alleged abuser

U.S. Judge dismisses murder charge against Arkansas sheriff nominee who killed daughter's alleged abuser June 4, 2026 / 9:10 PM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google A judge has dismissed a murder charge against an Arkansas man who won the GOP nomination for sheriff while awaiting trial for the shooting death of his teenage daughter's alleged abuser.Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. dismissed the case against Aaron Spencer on Thursday afternoon — just a few weeks before his trial on the second-degree murder charge was expected to begin — because a dash camera memory card that may have captured the shooting was lost by law enforcement.In March, Spencer won the GOP nomination over a three-term incumbent sheriff whose office had arrested him on the murder charge in Lonoke County, which has roughly 76,000 residents. "The court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted," Wilson wrote. This undated photo provided by attorney Erin Cassinelli shows Aaron Spencer, a Republican candidate for sheriff in Lonoke County, Arkansas, who won a GOP primary March 3, 2026. Heather Spencer/Erin Cassinelli via AP Spencer's attorneys did not deny that he shot and killed Michael Fosler, 67, in 2024. At the time, Fosler was out on bond after being charged with dozens of sexual offenses against Spencer's then-13-year-old daughter. Court documents show that on the night of the shooting, Spencer had woken up to find his daughter missing, and later found the girl in the passenger seat of a vehicle Fosler was driving. Spencer forced Fosler's truck off the road and, after an altercation, called 911 to report he had shot the man.Prosecutors said Spencer planned the killing and that he could have called police while pursuing Fosler. But Spencer pleaded not guilty and maintained he acted to protect his child from a predator. Spencer said in a statement Thursday that the support from the community "carried our family...