June 4, 2026 / 9:10 PM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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A judge has dismissed a murder charge against an Arkansas man who won the GOP nomination for sheriff while awaiting trial for the shooting death of his teenage daughter's alleged abuser.Special Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. dismissed the case against Aaron Spencer on Thursday afternoon — just a few weeks before his trial on the second-degree murder charge was expected to begin — because a dash camera memory card that may have captured the shooting was lost by law enforcement.In March, Spencer won the GOP nomination over a three-term incumbent sheriff whose office had arrested him on the murder charge in Lonoke County, which has roughly 76,000 residents. "The court finds that conduct by law enforcement was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted," Wilson wrote.
This undated photo provided by attorney Erin Cassinelli shows Aaron Spencer, a Republican candidate for sheriff in Lonoke County, Arkansas, who won a GOP primary March 3, 2026.
