Before going any further, it is important to note that child molestation is reprehensible and there’s no excuse for it. Those who do such things should absolutely face justice, but that justice must be arrived at through the legal process. Aaron Spencer, a candidate in a local race for county sheriff, killed a man. There is no “allegedly.” He admitted to it.
Spencer faced charges of second-degree murder after hunting down his teenage daughter’s alleged attacker and killing him during a fight. One might say that he was merely defending his little girl, but in Arkansas, deadly force is legal only when a threat is imminent. In this case, Spencer pursued his target rather than contacting law enforcement.
He then attacked and shot the accused attacker as opposed to going through the proper channels. Just by virtue of being there, Spencer removed the threat to his daughter. He could have held the suspect at gunpoint while waiting for officers to arrive, but he killed the man instead. Now, if the man had been actively attacking the girl, that would be a different tale.
A few days ago, a judge dismissed the charges against Spencer, largely because a memory card conveniently disappeared, apparently at the hands of a detective who has rightfully been terminated. I suspect that the detective did it on purpose out of some sense of moral outrage.
Spencer should have been held accountable. Two wrongs don’t make a right. I am not defending an alleged pedophile and child molester. All I am saying is that there are right ways to handle things and wrong ways to handle things. We, in a nation of laws, should not be allowed to take justice into our own hands. In my opinion, that is what happened here.
As you might imagine, ordinary citizens demanded that the charges be dismissed, calling to mind a lynch mob mentality. Spencer’s daughter was safe the moment he confronted her alleged attacker, so firing a weapon was inappropriate here. Spencer acted irrationally and has shown, to me anyway, that he should not be allowed to possess a firearm. What happens if someone else pisses him off?
This man should have been taken to trial and he should have been convicted. For me, it all comes down to “imminent” threat. Because that threat was neutralized, lethal force was no longer appropriate. Maybe little things like the law just aren’t important in Arkansas.
Look, I do get it. I understand that a father wants to protect his daughter. That’s honorable. That’s normal. I just feel that, in this particular incident, he could have and should have taken another route. That’s all. I can’t comprehend why a grown man would look at or touch a child in a sexual manner. I certainly don’t. I don’t defend those who do.
By writing this article, some may say that I defend child molesters and pedophiles. Not so! That’s disgusting! I am merely defending going through the proper channels. It’s a shame that the detective decided to play God and that a judge actually dismissed the charges. This is not how we should be acting in the United States. He should have been tried, convicted and put in prison for several years.