BALDWIN COUNTY | RICKEY STOKES NEWS
A 13-year-old boy reportedly defended his mother and held his stepfather down with a bicycle after deputies say the man attacked his wife during a domestic dispute near Foley.
According to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home on Underwood Road in reference to a domestic violence complaint.
When deputies arrived, they found the 13-year-old boy in the yard holding down his 32-year-old stepfather, Darnel Hernandez-Lopez, with a bicycle. Authorities said Hernandez-Lopez had multiple injuries to his face.
Investigators say Hernandez-Lopez’s wife told deputies the couple got into an argument that turned physical when he allegedly grabbed her by the neck and began choking her. The incident reportedly happened in front of her son.
According to officials, the woman told her son to go get help, but Hernandez-Lopez allegedly followed the boy outside and attempted to violently engage him in the front yard.
The boy then defended himself, striking his stepfather several times in the face and subduing him until deputies arrived, authorities said.
Hernandez-Lopez was arrested and charged with felony assault by strangulation. He was booked into the Baldwin County Corrections Center, where he is being held on a $30,000 bond. Officials also say an immigration hold has been placed against him.
