An Arkansas father facing second-degree murder charges for fatally shooting his daughter’s alleged sexual abuser has won the Republican primary for Lonoke County Sheriff, defeating the longtime incumbent in a decisive victory. Aaron Spencer, 37, captured 53.5% of the vote on March 3, 2026, according to CNN, even as he remains out on bond awaiting trial in a case that has drawn national attention.
Spencer, an Army veteran and farmer, defeated incumbent Sheriff John Staley, who had held the office since 2012, along with a third candidate, David Bufford, in the three-person Republican primary. Staley received 26.5% of the vote while Bufford garnered approximately 20%. Spencer collected 5,400 votes compared to Staley’s 2,676 and Bufford’s 2,012, according to KARK.
The margin was not close. Staley conceded the race in a Facebook post on the morning of March 4, stating that the voters had made their decision and that he respected it. In a heavily Republican county where Donald Trump won approximately 76% of the vote in 2024, the primary victory makes Spencer the overwhelming favorite heading into the November general election, where he will face Democratic candidate Brian Mitchell Sr., as NBC News reported.
The case that thrust Spencer into the spotlight began in the early morning hours of October 8, 2024. Spencer’s wife called 911 at 1:12 a.m. to report their daughter missing from her bedroom. Just 22 minutes later, at 1:34 a.m., Spencer called 911 to report that 67-year-old Michael Fosler was dead, according to prosecutors cited by THV11.
According to the prosecution, Spencer discovered his daughter in the passenger seat of a vehicle Fosler was driving. He then followed Fosler for approximately six miles, honking and flashing his lights, before ramming Fosler’s truck into a ditch. Spencer allegedly fired 16 shots, striking Fosler 15 times. Spencer has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bond while awaiting trial, as the Associated Press reported.
Fosler himself had been facing serious criminal charges at the time of his death. He had been charged with numerous sexual offenses against Spencer’s then-13-year-old daughter and was arrested on July 11, 2024, before being released on $50,000 bond on July 17. At the time he was killed, Fosler was facing 40 charges, according to Lonoke County Prosecutor Chuck Graham, as reported by KATV. Graham stated that his office had been in the process of prosecuting Fosler and believed they were going to convict him before the shooting occurred.
Spencer’s road to the ballot has been complicated by legal proceedings that remain unresolved. His murder trial was originally scheduled for January 2026 but was postponed after the Arkansas Supreme Court removed the presiding judge from the case. The high court also rescinded an order the judge had issued that would have restricted public access to the trial, according to the Arkansas Advocate.
A pretrial hearing was scheduled for March 18, 2026, at which new trial dates would be determined. Possible trial windows include April 27 through May 1 or June 22 through June 26, 2026. Spencer is represented by defense attorneys Erin Cassinelli and Michael Kiel Kaiser.
The timing creates an extraordinary legal and political scenario. If Spencer is convicted of the felony murder charge before taking office, he would be unable to serve as sheriff. However, if he is acquitted or if the trial extends beyond the November general election, the county could find itself with a newly elected sheriff who simultaneously faces one of the most closely watched criminal trials in the state.
The election results underscore the depth of public sympathy Spencer has garnered in the rural Arkansas county. Voters chose a man charged with killing his daughter’s alleged abuser over a sheriff who had served the community for more than a decade — and they did so by a wide margin. Whatever the legal outcome, Lonoke County has sent an unmistakable message about where its loyalties lie.
