CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. — A Camden County Sheriff’s Office sergeant has been charged with civil rights violations and falsifying records, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia announced Thursday.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Buck William Aldridge, 42, of St. Mary’s, Georgia, faces a 13-count federal indictment. He is accused of using excessive force on people in custody on four occasions and falsifying reports to justify his actions.
“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with the authority to uphold the law—not to break it. When that trust is violated, the FBI will act. No badge puts anyone above the Constitution,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown.
Leonard Cure died in October 2023 on Interstate 95 in Camden County. He was Tased and shot by Aldridge during a confrontation, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
At a 2023 news conference, attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels announced Cure’s family filed the lawsuit, seeking $16 million in damages against Aldridge and the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.
“On the one hand, this case is about Leonard Cure, a man who was wrongfully imprisoned and ultimately killed by law enforcement sworn to serve and protect him. But, on the other hand, it’s about much more than that,” said Daniels. “This isn’t some isolated incident. We’re talking about an officer with a long history of brutality and violence within a department with a long history of brutality and violence. They have blood on their hands and it’s time to hold them accountable.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Aldridge pulled Cure over along I-95 near the Georgia-Florida line in October and accused him of speeding and reckless driving.
RELATED STORIES:
- Leonard Cure shooting: Camden County Sheriff’s Office release videos from deadly I-95 traffic stop
- Man killed during traffic stop moved to metro Atlanta to start new life after being exonerated
- Man who spent 16 years in prison on wrongful conviction shot, killed by Ga. deputy on I-95
- Attorney for family of man killed during Ga. traffic stop speaks after dash camera videos released
The sheriff’s office released bodycam and dashcam video that shows Cure initially complying with the deputy’s commands but then refused to put his hands behind his back to be arrested.
“Why am I getting Tased?” Cure asked in the video.
“Because you are under arrest for speeding and reckless driving,” Aldridge said.
“I’m not driving. Nobody was hurt, how was I speeding?” Cure asked.
“You passed me doing 100 miles per hour,” the deputy said.
The deputy used his Taser on Cure. The video shows him pulling out the prongs and attacking the deputy, using profanity in the process. The deputy then shot and killed Cure.
Channel 2’s Tom Jones previously reported that Cure has ties to metro Atlanta. He moved to the area after he was exonerated for a wrongful conviction on a 2003 armed robbery charge in Florida.
The state of Florida awarded Cure more than $800,000 for his wrongful conviction.
Weeks before he was killed, the Georgia Innocence Project arranged for Cure to speak to students at Jonesboro High School in Clayton County.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Cure’s family and attorneys will hold a news conference at noon Friday in front of the Frank M. Scarlett Federal Building in Brunswick, following the indictment of Aldridge on federal civil rights charges.
Aldridge could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each civil rights violation and 20 years for each false report.
The FBI Brunswick Field Office is handling the investigation, and the prosecution is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.