Ex-GA Deputy Who Fatally Shot Innocent Man Indicted In Excessive Force Case

A former Georgia deputy who once escaped charges in connection with the shooting death of a man who was wrongfully imprisoned has now been indicted on charges he violated the civil rights of arrestees, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Former Camden County Sheriff's Sgt. Buck William Aldridge, 42, of St. Mary's, was indicted on 13 counts after a federal grand jury decision, the Department of Justice's Southern District of Georgia said. He was accused of deprivation of rights under color of law and falsifying records.

Aldridge was once at the center of the Oct. 16, 2023 fatal shooting of Leonard Cure, the 53-year-old who was exonerated in 2020 after wrongfully spending 16 years in a Florida prison for robbery.

The shooting happened during a traffic stop on Interstate 95 north, south of mile marker 9, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation previously said.

RELATED: GA Deputy Who Fatally Shot Innocent Man Won't Be Charged: D.A.

The GBI previously said Cure complied with commands until learning that he was being arrested. Following the alleged non-compliance, authorities said Aldridge tased Cure before Cure assaulted Aldridge.

Authorities said Aldridge then tased Cure a second time and used a baton on him. The non-compliance continued, the GBI said, and Aldridge then shot Cure, who died from his injuries.

The sheriff's office released body camera and dash camera footage of the fatal shooting.

RELATED: Video Shows Fatal GA Police Shooting For Man Wrongfully Imprisoned

In February, Keith Higgins, the district attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, said Aldridge would not be criminally charged, saying the "use of deadly force" during the traffic was "was objectively reasonable."

However, federal prosecutors said Aldridge has used excessive force on people placed under arrest four different times and prepared multiple reports, that were misleading, while he was with the Camden County Sheriff's Office "to justify his use of force."

If convicted, prosecutors said he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each federal civil rights violation and 20 years in prison for each false report.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, prosecutors said.

“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with the authority to uphold the law — not to break it," FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said in a news release. "When that trust is violated, the FBI will act. No badge puts anyone above the Constitution. We remain committed to investigating civil rights violations and holding accountable those who abuse their power.”

RELATED: GA Deputy Who Killed Man During Traffic Stop Has Use Of Force History

Prior to the deadly encounter with Cure, Aldridge had been terminated for use of force, according to a past News4Jax report.

The media outlet cited Aldridge's personnel file, reporting he had been fired in August 2017 from the Kingsland Police Department for "violating the use of force policy during a traffic stop."

Cure was exonerated in December 2020 after being convicted of the armed robbery of a Broward County, Florida, store in 2003. He was initially sentenced to life in prison.

The Innocence Project partnered with the Conviction Review Unit of the Broward County State Attorney's Office for Cure's exoneration.

Cure received an unknown amount of compensation on Aug. 9, 2024 for his time spent in prison, according to the organization. The State of Florida also apologized to Cure.

After being released from prison, Cure relocated to an area near Atlanta, where he reconnected with his family, had begun working and was in the process of buying his first home.

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