A Georgia sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a man who was exonerated and released from prison has been indicted on unrelated civil rights charges, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Buck Aldridge’s civil rights charges are unrelated to the fatal shooting of the exonerated man, Leonard Cure, which Aldridge committed during a struggle following a traffic stop in 2023. There were no criminal charges filed in that case.
A federal grand jury in Georgia returned an indictment against Aldridge on Thursday, charging him with 13 counts, including four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.
He is accused of using excessive force against people arrested four times, resulting in three victims. He is also accused of preparing “multiple” misleading reports to justify the use of force, according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
According to the indictment, in 2021, he used a Taser on one person without justification and kicked him, as well as on someone who was already handcuffed.
Aldridge is also accused of punching a third victim in the face without legal justification in 2022, as well as repeatedly using a Taser on him after he stopped resisting arrest.
The Camden County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that Aldridge has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately.
“The Camden County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to transparency and accountability at all levels,” Sheriff Kevin Chaney said in a statement.
Aldridge was charged with four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and seven counts of falsifying records.
According to federal court records, Aldridge did not have an attorney and there were no events or pleas in the case announced Thursday.
Aldridge fatally shot Cure, 53, on October 16, 2023, after pulling over Cure’s pickup truck on Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida border for speeding and causing a struggle, according to officials and video.
District Attorney Keith Higgins, after reviewing body camera footage and other evidence, announced in February that no criminal charges would be filed.
He stated to The Associated Press that “use of deadly force at that point was objectively reasonable given that he was being overpowered at the time.”
Body camera footage released in that case shows Aldridge threatening to use a Taser on Cure during an argument and informing Cure that he is being arrested for speeding and reckless driving.
Cure is seen in a struggle with Aldridge on dashcam video, placing his hand on Aldridge’s face and pushing his head back before being shot by Aldridge.
Cure’s family condemned the shooting at the time, calling it unnecessary. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation stated at the time that Cure cooperated until he learned he would be arrested.
Cure was released from a Florida prison three years before his fatal shooting after serving 16 years for an armed robbery conviction. He’d been sentenced to life.
Cure was discovered to have been wrongfully convicted in 2020.
Authorities investigating the Innocence Project of Florida discovered that Cure was miles away from the robbery based on an ATM receipt and other evidence. The Broward County Prosecutor’s Office determined that he did not commit the crime.
