An Arkansas father was arrested after reportedly shooting and killing a guy discovered in a vehicle with his missing 14-year-old daughter.
Aaron Spencer, 36, reported his daughter missing on Tuesday, prompting Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office deputies to respond to his home.
However, as deputies approached the property, they discovered that Spencer had found his daughter in a vehicle with Michael Fosler, 67. Before Spencer reportedly shot and killed Fosler, the two men had a confrontation.
Deputies detained Spencer on a preliminary accusation of first-degree murder, which is a Class Y felony. He was placed in the Lonoke County Detention Center and released the next day after paying bail.
Sheriff John Staley stated in a Facebook video that Spencer has yet to be legally charged and that the District Attorney’s Office will decide which charges to file.
“This is a tragic situation and my thoughts and prayers are with all involved,” Staley told the media.
Spencer’s wife, Heather, stated on Facebook that Fosler had a “no contact order” with her daughter after stalking and raping her during the summer and that she and her husband were concerned he would kill her. She stated that she and her husband were unaware that Fosler had resumed communication with her child.
“We called 911 during the entire event,” she said. “We had no idea this individual had contacted our child again. He was expecting 6-9 felonies for what he did, not two. He was contemplating the rest of his miserable life in jail, and our daughter was the only witness.”
“Some things we will never know, but we know that the police department afforded this predator privacy they did not give our family,” she told me. “This includes posting our home address. “I’m deeply offended by how the county [sheriff’s] office handled this.”
The mom went on to say, “At the end of the day, our daughter is a victim, and everyone has a long road to recovery. We are grateful for all the calls, messages, and prayers.
Staley told USA TODAY that Fosler was detained by another law enforcement agency in July and charged with internet stalking of a kid and sexual assault.
“I do not support predators,” he told me. I’m a dad. “I’ve got three girls. I understand she is upset right now, but there is no one I would put ahead of our children, their children, or my children.” The sheriff says deputies are investigating what happened before the shooting.
“When we get on scene and there’s a homicide, it means one person took the life of another,” Staley informed the crowd. “It is either justifiable or unjustified. That is what the fact-finding and investigation will reveal.”
The child’s mother had put up a GoFundMe to cover her husband’s legal bills, but GoFundMe withdrew the account and returned the funds to the donors. According to GoFundMe’s rules of service, fundraisers cannot gather funds for the legal defense of anyone who has been legally charged with a violent offense.
As a result, the woman now accepts payments through Venmo and Cash App.
“My husband is a hero, and we are grateful to have him back home with us for the time being,” the woman wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday. “We want to do everything possible to ensure he can continue to be here to protect us.”
She also praised other victims who contacted her with reports that Fosler had attacked them.
“We have gotten a clear picture of a predator who continuously worked with children and preyed on young girls,” she wrote in an email. “This man was Chief of police in Indiana and resource officer, giving us a better idea of why the Lonoke county courts have been protecting him and going after my husband.”
The issue continues under investigation.