An Arkansas father charged with murdering a man accused of sexually abusing his 13-year-old daughter just won the GOP nomination for sheriff in a heavily Republican county.
Army veteran Aaron Spencer decisively won the Republican primary in Lonoke County on Tuesday, beating two other candidates — including incumbent Sheriff John Stanley, whose deputies arrested Spencer after the 2024 killing.
Spencer, who has no prior law enforcement or political experience, is now set to appear for a pretrial hearing this month as the GOP nominee. He has pleaded not guilty.
Spencer announced his campaign after acknowledging killing a 67-year-old man in October 2024. He has said he found his daughter in a car with the man, who was out on bail after having been charged with multiple counts of sexually abusing Spencer’s daughter.
The case became the bedrock of Spencer’s candidacy in the county of 74,000 east of Little Rock. He said he felt called to run to protect victims of sexual abuse and to prevent what happened to his daughter from happening to others.
To become sheriff, Spencer needs to win the general election and his court case — Arkansas law bars felons from holding office.
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.