An Arkansas man took extreme actions to save the life of his kidnapped daughter and has been arrested for taking the law into his own hands.
Arkansas man shot kidnapper
36-year-old Aaron Spencer has been arrested for first-degree murder, after he allegedly shot and killed a man that had been previously apprehended for stalking and sexually abusing his 14-year-old daughter.
His wife, 37-year-old Heather Spencer, detailed that their daughter was targeted, groomed, and sexually assaulted by Michael Fosler, the 67-year-old boyfriend of a family friend.
Fosler already faced legal trouble for sexual assault and internet stalking of a child, presumably Spencer’s, when he was arrested on July 11.
Despite the seriousness of the charges, he was released on a $50,000 bond, with a court appearance scheduled for December.
Bonding out allegedly didn’t deter the suspected criminal, because last Tuesday, the Spencer’s were jolted out of sleep in the middle of the night due to their dog’s insistent barking, and discovered their daughter was missing from her bed.
The Arkansas man immediately jumped into his truck to search for their daughter, as a frantic call to the police was phoned in.
After blindly driving around, Aaron discovered his daughter inside a vehicle with Fosler, who sped off as soon as he spotted the angry father, who chased him.
Arkansas man saves daughter
Fosler crashed his vehicle and the frantic parent was able to get his daughter out of the car, but not before he was allegedly attacked by the accused sexual assaulter, and the father ultimately protected himself and his daughter by shooting him.
The sheriff’s office in Lonoke County reported that this incident occurred on Tuesday, October 8. Deputies were initially responding to a report of a missing child at a home on Highway 236 East.
They then found out that Spencer had shot and fatally wounded Fosler after finding him with the minor child.
“A confrontation between the two adult males ensued, which resulted in a shooting. Deputies immediately initiated an investigation. Michael Fosler was pronounced dead at the scene, and Aaron Spencer was taken into custody,” stated the sheriff’s office.
In a video released two days after the incident, Sheriff John Staley described the situation as “tragic,” sending his “thoughts and prayers” to everyone involved.
Staley noted that while Spencer had been arrested on first-degree murder charges, the decision of to formally charge him, or not, would be made by the Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Speaking to USA Today, Staley clarified that Spencer’s arrest doesn’t suggest the sheriff’s office supports a predator.
“We’re in consultation with the prosecuting attorney about what to do in this preliminary stage,” Staley told the outlet. “All my deputies and investigators knew at that time is there’s a deceased man, a 14-year-old that was in the truck with him, and a dad saying ‘Hey, I stopped him for this.’”
“I absolutely do not support predators,” he added. “I’m a daddy. I have three daughters. I know she’s hurt right now, but there’s absolutely nobody I would put ahead of our children, their children, my children.
Spencer has been released from jail on a $150,000 bond, likely with funds raised through the GiveSendGo campaign his wife, Heather Spencer, started to support his legal battle.
Wife sets up fund for upcoming legal battle
In her post, Heather wrote that her daughter, then 13, had been “targeted, groomed, and ultimately [sexually assaulted]” by Fosler” after he got a hold of the girl’s phone number.
She said that despite Fosler facing multiple felony charges and a no-contact order, he continued to reach out to the girl after being released from jail.
“We let the justice system do its job. The monster who hurt our child was charged quickly, but released even faster on a $50k bond. He was awaiting court in December for several felonies in relation to what he did to our child,” she wrote.
Describing her husband as a military veteran and a “hero,” Heather labeled the arrest as “outrageous.”
She explained that the 911 call reporting their daughter missing followed the sound of their dog barking, which prompted them to check on her.
“This is unusual and caused us to check on her. In that moment we lived every parents biggest fear as we realized our teen child was missing,” the post continued.
“We frantically searched our home/property and started calling friends, family, and 911. My husband immediately got into his truck to go blindly searching for our child.”
Heather recounted how her husband found Fosler driving with their daughter and that a collision ensued.
“As soon as the predator knew my husband was behind him, he ran. The chase ended in an accident,” she detailed.
“Aaron was able to retrieve our child alive, but in the process he was attacked and did what he had to do to protect himself and our minor child,” Heather noted. “He is now facing an outrageous murder 1 charge.”
“I have no doubt our child would have not come home if my husband hadn’t found her,” she concluded.
