Port Charlotte man stabs fellow inmate in Charlotte County Jail

A Port Charlotte man stabbed a fellow inmate with a hidden metal object at the Charlotte County Jail Wednesday night.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, , Duane Lynch, 38, attacked another inmate around 8 p.m., using a metal object around 14 inches long hidden in his waistband , stabbing him once in the neck and once on the elbow. CCSO says there is no known motive for this attack.

The victim ran from Lynch, who chased him up the stairs to the second floor of the pod they occupied. A corrections deputy confronted Lynch, who turned and ran back down the stairs. When the deputy ran down the other side and blocked Lynch’s path, CCSO says Lynch took on a “combative and threatening stance” holding the weapon, leading the deputy to pepper spray Lynch before he was disarmed and apprehended.

Corrections staff provided first aid to the victim, who was transported for further medical treatment. His injuries are not life-threatening.

Lynch now faces two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (including one against a law enforcement officer) and one count of possession of contraband within a secured corrections grounds. According to an arrest report, he had attacked another inmate before, on Oct. 8, 2020, and was set to be sentenced for this incident on Nov. 15.