On the morning of Thursday, January 21st, a woman called deputies at the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station and reported that her husband had assaulted her and then barricaded himself in their bedroom along with their two young children. Upon their arrival, deputies met with immediate success in convincing the man, Calvin Charles Lynch, of Canyon Country, to put down the knife. Once Lynch put the knife down, deputies rushed into the room in an attempt to free the children from their father’s presence.
In the ensuing scuffle, a deputy was seriously wounded and suffered injuries to his head and upper body. The deputy’s name isn’t being released, though medical personnel have said that he is improving.
After being arrested and booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station, Calvin Charles Lynch was charged with three counts of felonious assault on a peace officer, two felony counts of false imprisonment of a hostage and two counts of cruelty to a child – totaling seven felonies in all.
The first three counts, felony assault on a peace officer, are covered under California Penal Codes 243 (b) and 243 (c) PC and are described as willfully and unlawfully touching someone who was (a) a police officer and (b) when the crime was committed, the individual knew the person they were unlawfully touching was a police officer and therefore protected. PC 243 (b) and (c) are “wobblers,” meaning they can be charged as either misdemeanors or felonies. In the case above, they are being charged as felonies with the possible sentences of formal (felony) probation, up to three years in county jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
False imprisonment of a hostage is covered under California Penal Code 210.5 PC and is described as falsely imprisoning another person in order to avoid arrest or using another person as a “human shield.” PC 210.5 is an automatic felony with the possible sentence that includes up to eight years in jail.
The final two crimes Lynch is being charged with are two counts of cruelty to a child by endangering the child’s health. Child endangerment is covered under California Penal Code 273(a) PC and is described as causing a child to suffer unjustifiable physical or mental pain, willfully causing or allowing a child in their care to be injured and/or willfully causes or allows a child to be placed in a dangerous situation. Child endangerment is, like many California crimes, a “wobbler.” That being said, the felony penalties Lynch is facing include up to six years in state prison, and/or a fine of up to $10,000, and/or four years of formal probation.