Aaron Spencer, 37, of Carlisle, made the announcement Friday in a one-minute video on the Facebook page for his campaign.
Spencer faces a second-degree murder charge in the Oct. 8, 2024, shooting death of 67-year-old Michael Fosler.
At the time of his death, Fosler was out on bond after being arrested and charged with two counts each of fourth-degree sexual assault, sexual indecency with a child and internet stalking of a child, court records showed. He also faced one count of electronic facilitation of child sexual abuse and 35 counts of pandering or possessing depictions of sexual conduct involving a child.
Around 1 a.m. that day, deputies responded to a call from a home on Arkansas 236 about a missing child.
On their way to the location, the deputies were told that Spencer, the child’s father, had found the child in a vehicle with Fosler and the two men got into a confrontation, which resulted in Fosler being shot. Fosler was pronounced dead at the scene and Spencer was taken into custody.
Spencer told police that Fosler kidnapped his teen daughter and he “had no choice” but to kill him after Fosler lunged at him, according to an affidavit for Spencer’s arrest.
In the video posted on Facebook, Spencer described himself as a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division and “the father who acted to protect his daughter when the system failed.”
Spencer said that “through my own fight for justice, I have seen firsthand the failures in law enforcement and in our circuit court, and I refuse to stand by while others face these same failures.”
Spencer said that his campaign “isn’t about me, it’s about every parent, every neighbor, every family who deserves to feel safe in their homes and safe in their community. It’s about restoring trust, where neighbors know law enforcement is on their side, and families know that they will not be left alone in a moment of need.”
Spencer has a groundswell of public support.
A Change.org petition titled “Absolve Aaron David Spencer of Charges Stemming From Saving his Daughter’s Life” has garnered 361,000 digital signatures.
As of Sunday afternoon, Spencer’s video on Facebook had been shared more than 3,000 times and had 256,ooo views.
Spencer is next set to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on Dec. 17.
In September, Judge Barbara Elmore of the 23rd Judicial Circuit delayed a jury trial set for Sept. 22-26 to Jan. 26-30.
Reached for comment about Spencer’s announcement, Lonoke County Sheriff Jeff Staley said he couldn’t comment on the Spencer case because of the pending trial.
“I will be seeking re-election to continue being your Lonoke County Sheriff,” Staley wrote in an emailed statement. “Since 2013, I have served as Sheriff of Lonoke County with a clear mission — to protect our citizens and hold those who break the law accountable. From day one, our focus has been on three major threats to our communities: drug traffickers, sexual predators, and thieves.
“We’ve made significant progress, and we will continue to work tirelessly to keep Lonoke County safe and ensure justice is served fairly and consistently for everyone. My motto has been and will continue to be do what’s right, not what’s easy. Doing what’s right isn’t always popular. ”
