An area man is being held without bond in the Santa Rosa County Jail following an attack that left his mother dead from injuries she sustained during an apparent domestic violence incident.
According to a press release from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a complaint on Evelyn Street in Pace at approximately 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The call was in reference to an unknown distress.
After the first deputy arrived on scene, 38-year-old Christopher Reed Lynch, covered in blood, approached the law enforcement officer yelling, "You want some?” Lynch was waving an object described in the arrest report as a “small pole.” That object was later identified by the deputy as an iron rod, approximately one-quarter inch in diameter with a hook on the end of it and covered in blood, according to the arrest report.
As the deputy was exiting his patrol car, Lynch swung the pole, striking the vehicle. The deputy then used a Taser multiple times, but in a subsequent skirmish on the ground, the deputy was punched in the head, near the temple area, according to the arrest report.
Additional SRSO deputies arrived and Lynch was eventually subdued and placed in handcuffs and leg irons.
When later assessing the scene, deputies found Cheryl Lynch, age not reported, lying on the porch, which had a large area covered in blood. The arrest report noted the mother of Christopher Lynch had numerous lacerations to the face, her eye was swollen shut and she was unable to properly speak.
EMS personnel responded to the scene, where Cheryl Lynch was transported to the trauma center of Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. The SRSO news release stated she later died from her injuries.
According to the arrest report, before being transported to Sacred Heart, Cheryl Lynch told deputies that her son had attacked and hit her, but she “couldn’t really remember what happened.”
Christopher Lynch is currently in Santa Rosa County Jail facing initial felony charges for second degree aggravated battery, third degree battery, second degree assault on an officer, and third degree resisting an officer with violence.
According to Bizapedia, a June 2015 listing identified Cheryl Lynch as Director with Florida Adaptive Sports Association, Inc. The address on file was 4661 Evelyn St., Pace, where the attack early Sunday morning took place. The website noted the organization's registered agent of record is Christopher Lynch.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Domestic violence attack by son leaves Pace mother dead