An Arkansas father is facing murder charges after allegedly shooting and killing the man he found with his missing teenage daughter — a man who family members described as a “monster” and accused of grooming and raping the girl.

The Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested and charged Aaron Spencer, 36, last week in connection to the fatal shooting of 67-year-old Michael Fosler in the central part of the state.

Authorities said they were called about a missing 14-year-old girl at about 1:10 a.m. Tuesday.

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Shortly after deputies were sent to the Spencer family’s home, they learned Mr. Spencer had found his daughter in a car with Mr. Fosler.

A confrontation ensued and gunshots quickly rang out, the sheriff’s office said. Mr. Fosler died at the scene, and Mr. Spencer was jailed on first-degree murder charges.

Heather Spencer, the suspect’s wife, said her husband is facing an “outrageous murder charge” in a GiveSendGo fundraising page she set up to cover legal bills.

She said Mr. Fosler “targeted, groomed and ultimately raped” their then-13-year-old daughter over the summer, when the Spencers were first introduced to him as the boyfriend of a family friend.

“Our family did not know this monster,” Mrs. Spencer said. “He just appeared in a place where our child should have been safe and got access to her phone number. And that’s all it took.”

Mrs. Spencer said Mr. Fosler had a December court date over pending felony charges “in relation to what he did to our child.”

Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley told USA Today that Mr. Fosler was arrested by another agency in July on charges of stalking a child and sexual assault. Mr. Fosler posted a $50,000 bond and was released.

Mrs. Spencer said she and her husband awoke early on Oct. 8 to the sound of their dog barking, and soon noticed their daughter was missing.

Mrs. Spencer said the couple frantically called everyone they knew to check if they had seen their daughter. She then said her husband hopped in his truck to go “blindly” searching for their child.

“By God’s never failing grace, my husband passed this man driving on our road with our minor child in the vehicle,” Mrs. Spencer wrote. “As soon as the predator knew my husband was behind him, he ran. The chase ended in an accident. Aaron was able to retrieve our child alive, but in the process he was attacked and did what he had to do to protect himself and our minor child.”

Mr. Spencer posted a $150,000 bond Wednesday and has since been released from jail.

Sheriff Staley said in a follow-up statement late last week that it’s ultimately up to the Lonoke County prosecuting attorney to carry the case forward.

The sheriff also distanced himself from Mrs. Spencer’s earlier accusations posted on Facebook that the department protected Mr. Fosler’s privacy but shared her family’s home address online.

“I absolutely do not support predators,” Sheriff Staley told USA Today.

“I’m a daddy. I have three daughters. I know she’s hurt right now, but there’s absolutely nobody I would put ahead of our children, their children, my children,” the sheriff said.

The Washington Times reached out to the prosecutor’s office for comment.

Mr. Spencer’s fundraising page has brought in nearly $90,000 by late Monday morning.