Overview
- Spencer won 53.5% of the vote over incumbent John Staley’s roughly 26.5%, with David Bufford near 20%, according to unofficial results, and Staley conceded.
- He is set to face Democrat Brian Mitchell Sr. in November in the heavily Republican county, the Associated Press reported.
- Spencer has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the October 2024 shooting of 67-year-old Michael Fosler, who was out on $50,000 bond on dozens of sex-offense charges involving Spencer’s then-13-year-old daughter.
- The trial was delayed after the Arkansas Supreme Court removed the original judge; a retired judge now oversees the case, with a hearing expected in about two weeks to set a new date.
- Arkansas law would bar a convicted felon from taking office, and the prosecution has prompted petitions and online campaigns urging that the charges be dropped.