A former Georgia cop who fatally shot an exonerated man during a 2023 traffic stop was indicted by a federal grand jury on several civil rights violations, including using excessive force in multiple incidents while he was a police officer and falsifying reports to justify his actions.
The 13-count indictment filed against Camden County Sgt. Buck William Aldridge alleges that he used excessive force on four separate occasions while he worked as a deputy sheriff with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, and then submitted “misleading CCSO reports to justify his use of force,” according to the Department of Justice.
Aldridge drew national attention after a traffic stop in October 2023 on I-95 near the Florida border in which he fatally shot 53-year-old Leonard Cure.
Aldridge pulled Cure over on suspicion of speeding and tried to arrest Cure. When Cure didn’t comply with the deputy’s orders to put his hands behind his back, a struggle ensued.
Dashcam footage shows Aldridge tasing Cure. Cure pauses during the shock, then spins around, grabs the probes of the Taser, and grapples with Aldridge as cars speed past on the interstate.
At one point, Aldridge struck Cure with his baton, but as the struggle continued, the deputy pulled his service weapon and shot Cure at point-blank range.
Cure was released from prison in 2020 after spending more than 16 years behind bars for a wrongful robbery conviction. He was visiting his mother in Florida when Aldridge stopped him. He had been living in Atlanta and was pursuing a college degree before he was killed.
Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins decided not to file criminal charges against Aldridge, telling The Associated Press that Aldridge’s use of lethal force was reasonable since video evidence shows Cure had “overpowered” him during the struggle.
Cure’s family filed a $17 million lawsuit against Aldridge, maintaining that excessive force was used during the traffic stop.
Aldridge had been on administrative leave since the 2023 incident. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office announced that he was officially relieved of his duties on Aug. 7 after the federal indictment was announced.
According to AP, the indictment details four instances in which Aldridge unjustifiably used excessive force on individuals he arrested.
In January 2021, the indictment states that he unjustifiably tased and kicked someone, injuring them.
In August of that same year, he tased a second victim in the back and compressed their neck using the pistol grip of a taser — all while the victim was handcuffed.
According to the indictment, when he wrote his follow-up report about the incident, he tried to “cover up” that he struck the victim in the head. He also falsely reported that the victim ignored verbal commands, tried to run away, and tried to use physical force against him.
During a June 2022 arrest, the indictment states that Aldridge also unjustifiably tased and hurt another victim and punched them in the face.
He’s also accused of tasing another person on the back of the head in August 2023.
In reports he submitted about these incidents, he omitted details about his violent behavior, including when he kicked one victim and punched another.
His conduct during the traffic stop involving Cure was not part of the allegations listed in the indictment.
Aldridge was hired at the Camden County Sheriff’s Office in 2018, nine months after he was fired from the Kingsland Police Department after he threw a woman to the ground and handcuffed her.
He was employed with the Kingsland agency for five years, where he was disciplined for using unnecessary force in two other incidents.
Aldridge disclosed his history and the reason for his termination to the Camden County office, and the agency hired him anyway.
Leonard Cure’s family held a press conference alongside their attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels after the indictment was announced, denouncing the CCSO’s decision to hire Aldridge despite his history of misconduct.
“What happened to Leonard was a driving force for so many who have been terrorized by this so-called deputy,” attorney Harry Daniels said. “Buck Aldridge was on the streets … because the sheriff did not have accountability for his officers, so he was allowed to roam and do the things he did, which led him to Leonard Cure.”
“Sheriff Proctor needs to be held accountable just as much as Buck Aldridge. Because it’s his responsibility to know who he’s hiring,” Leonard Cure’s brother, Wallace, said. “This was a loose cannon, a rogue cop,” he added of Aldridge.
“Unequivocally, we believe that Leonard Cure would be alive had they held Buck Aldridge accountable,” attorney Ben Crump stated.
Cure’s mother, Mary Cure, stated that she’s held on to her faith in the years since her son was killed, and while she holds no animosity toward Aldridge or the sheriff’s office, she won’t stop fighting for justice in his case.
“I bend, but I won’t break,” Mary Cure said. “I am going to continue on this journey for my son.”
Aldridge faces up to 10 years in prison for each federal civil rights violation in the 13-count indictment, and 20 years in prison for each false report. The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Great Job Yasmeen F. & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
