Arkansas man charged with murder - running for Sheriff

 

Man could be in jail as he is elected Sheriff next year. How awkward would that be?

US man accused of killing daughter’s rapist runs for sheriff

Aaron Spencer has pledged that law enforcement in Arkansas will again be on the side of families if he is elected

© Facebook / Aaron Spencer for Lonoke County Sheriff

A US military veteran has announced plans to run for sheriff in an Arkansas county despite being charged with the murder of a man who sexually assaulted his daughter.

Aaron Spencer, 37, allegedly shot dead Michael Fosler, 67, in October 2024 after discovering him in a car with his 14-year-old daughter. At the time of the incident, Fosler had been charged with multiple sexual offenses against the veteran’s child, but was released on bail.

Spencer told police that he “had no choice” but to open fire as Fosler “lunged towards him” when he ordered him to get out of the truck, according to court papers.

In a video published on Facebook on Friday, Spencer – who is running for sheriff of Lonoke County – described himself as a “father who acted to protect his daughter when the system failed.”

Read more

 Shots fired in center of German town – media

“And through my own fight for justice, I have seen firsthand the failures in law enforcement and in our circuit court. I refuse to stand by while others face these same failures,” he said.

The veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division said his campaign to become a sheriff “is not about me; it is about every parent, every neighbor, every family who deserves to feel safe in their homes and in their community.”

“It is about restoring trust, where neighbors know law enforcement is on their side and families know they will not be left alone in a moment of need,” he added.

The clip gathered more than 8,000 likes in the space of three days, with multiple commentators saying they would support Spencer’s candidacy.

The vote for Lonoke County sheriff is scheduled to take place in November next year. Jeff Staley, who has been in the job for more than a decade, has announced plans to seek re-election.

Spencer’s trial on charges of second-degree murder is set to begin on January 26, 2026.

Lonoke Co., Ark

Into The Light: Unmasking Child Sex Abuse Airs Thursday and Friday at 10

Author: THV11 Staff

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — 4,434 children.
Let that number sink in.
ONE is too many. 

video 30 sec

But last year in Arkansas, 4,434 children were sexually abused, and that's just the number of cases reported. 

It is not something we want or like to talk about.  Of course, you hope it never happens to your child. 

But it is happening. It happened to a state lawmaker and she is now sharing her story, praying that it shines hope for other young victims. 

Dawn Scott's emotional 2-part series airs Thursday, April 25 and Friday, April 26 at 10 p.m. on THV11. 

April is child sex abuse awareness month. Those able to view this series, please take the time to do so. Children have no voice, especially sexually abused children. So when an adult survivor speaks up, please listen.

New Arkansas Law Allows Rapists to Sue Victims Seeking Abortion

I would love to hear your opinions on this. Mine is at the bottom.

Pro-life and pro-choice activists at National March for Life rally, Washington. © Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters

A pregnant woman’s husband will be able to sue to prevent his wife from having an abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, under a new law that could come into effect as early as spring.

The new law, Act 45 – the Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act, will also allow husbands to sue doctors who carry out abortions for civil damages, as well as block terminations using injunctions.

Parents and legal guardians would also be able to sue to prevent minors from having abortions, raising concerns for victims of sexual abuse and incest.

The pro-life Act 45 was sped through in only two months by the Republican-led state government.

It would also see dilation and evacuation (D&E) terminations, the safest and most common form of second trimester abortions, become a felony with offenders facing six years in prison or a $10,000 fine.

The state of Arkansas carried out more than 680 D&E procedures in 2015.

The bill’s co-sponsor, Andy Mayberry, a father of four girls, is the president of Arkansas Right to Life and member of the Missionary Baptist church.

He referred to D&E procedures as “gruesome, barbaric” and said “no civilized society should embrace” them.

Mayberry has defended his bill by pointing out that, while the father of a fetus can prevent a woman from having an abortion, the father would not be able to sue for monetary damages if he had raped her or committed incest.

Six other states have passed similar laws, inspired by National Right to Life’s model legislation.

In Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, legal challenges have temporarily stalled legislation from coming into effect. Mississippi’s and West Virginia’s versions of the law passed in spring 2016.

So, if I understand this correctly, a man can rape his daughter, get her pregnant, and then prevent her from getting an abortion. It's not enough that she will live the rest of her life with the trauma of having been raped by her own father, but she will have to give birth to her father's child and live with that for the rest of her life. A rapist should have no legal power over his victim and certainly not for the rest of her life. What madness is that?

I hate abortion! But I cannot in good conscience support this cynical attempt to outlaw abortion on the backs on some of the most vulnerable people in society - rape victims. 

My Name is ‘Idiot’: Arkansas Couple Arrested for Child Abuse After Zip-Tying 4yo Girl to Bed

Clarence Reed, Jennifer Denen © Garland Co. Sheriff's Office

A 4-year-old girl is in state custody after Arkansas police say she was zip-tied to a bed and hit with a plastic bat. She told officers she thought her name was “Idiot.” The child’s mother and her boyfriend have been arrested on child abuse charges.

The girl was brought to Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas to be examined for multiple injuries. Staff at the center and workers from the Arkansas Department of Human Services quickly called the Hot Springs Police Department, suspecting abuse.

She had “deep purple bruising on her buttocks, lower back, and legs, a blackened eye, a swollen right cheek, a bruise on her forehead, healing scars across her back, and dried blood in the corner of her mouth,” the police report said, according to KATV.

The young girl was malnourished and had ligature marks on her wrists, implying she had been restrained.

When officers asked the child her name, she replied, “Idiot,” the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record reported.

The girl’s mother, Jennifer Diane Denen, 30, and her live-in boyfriend, Clarence Eugene Reed, 47, were both at the advocacy center when police arrived and were taken in for questioning.

Denen told police she had seen Reed spank her daughter with a plastic bat, and that another child had told her that Reed had zip-tied the 4-year-old to a chair. The boyfriend called the girl “Idiot” on a “regular basis,” she said. Denen admitted to not seeking medical attention for her daughter’s injuries.

Reed acknowledged hitting the girl, but said he used a half-inch-thick wooden paddle, according to the police report.

He also admitted to tying the girl to her bed using plastic ties, with Denen’s help, as punishment for climbing the kitchen cabinets, the Sentinel-Record reported.

Another child living in the Hot Springs home told police that the girl had been tied up and was called “Idiot” instead of her name, which was not released.

Reed told police he did call the girl “Idiot,” but said “he did it in jest,” the report said.

A total of six children were in the house, all of whom are Denen’s, Corporal Kirk Zaner, spokesman for the Hot Springs PD, told the Washington Post. The youngest, an 11-month-old, is Denen’s only child with Reed.

The  4-year-old girl and the 11-month-old are now in the custody of the Department of Human Services, while the four older children are with their biological father, Zaner said.

Denen and Reed were both charged with felony counts of first-degree domestic battery, permitting abuse of a minor and first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor. They face up to 32 years in prison if convicted.

They are each being held on $500,000 bond, and are set to appear in Garland County District Court on August 23, the Sentinel-Record reported. Hot Springs, a city of 35,000 about an hour outside the state capital of Little Rock, is the county seat of Garland.

Another Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?

JUAN WILDER Greenville Gazette

‘VEHEMENTLY ANTI-GAY’ CHRISTIAN PASTOR CHARGED 

WITH 70 COUNTS OF POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

An Arkansas pastor has been charged with possession of child pornography after a lengthy police investigation. A total of 70 counts were made against David Reynolds, who used to be the head of Cornerstone Bible Fellowship.

He was recently forced to leave the church due to his strong anti-LGBT agenda, which included passionate sermons about the sins of gay marriage and how all LGBT people will end up in hell.

At least they will have a few pastors there to tell them what they did wrong! Good grief!


‘Vehemently anti-gay’ Christian Pastor Charged With 70 Counts of Possession of Child Pornography

Reynolds, 40, was arrested in May after authorities received a tip directing them to a social media account that allegedly belonged to the pastor. The account was being used to store pornographic material that featured children.

When questioned about looking at the material, Reynolds claimed he (had) not done so deliberately. He had also informed the church in March that he was being investigated by the police, although he did not elaborate on the reason.

The church staff has cooperated with the authorities and expressed concern about the broken trust between the fellowship and its congregation. It will also conduct its own investigation to determine if other staff members were involved or affected by the actions of Reynolds. An attorney for the pastor stated that Reynolds has denied the claims against him and plans to strongly defend his reputation.

Reynolds is currently in jail under a $250,000 bond.

    Sherwood, Arkansas