BAKER COUNTY, Fla. — A local man is accused of beating his mother with a hammer and holding her hostage inside their home for nearly a week.
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office arrested 34-year-old Cory Lord.
According to Lord’s arrest report, the 62-year-old victim was able to escape the home on Woodlawn Road on July 29th and drove herself to a fire station in Glen St. Mary.
The report said she had multiple visible bruises to her face, as well as what appeared to be dried blood on the front of her clothing.
The woman told deputies that after the incident, she hid the hammer in her laundry basket.
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This is not the first time Lord has been behind bars.
Deputies said he was arrested previously for domestic battery and assault. He was also subject to multiple mental health evaluations under the Florida Baker Act over the past fifteen years.
Given the suspect’s history of violent behavior, a mental health expert said there are warning signs to look for.
“If the individual is a substance user, because a lot of the substances that are on the street cause a lot of reactions from that frontal lobe,” said Dr. Christine Cauffield, the CEO of LSF Health Systems. “It really diminishes their ability to connect to their actions and possible consequences.”
Court records show Lord entered a plea of not guilty and is expected to have a hearing on Aug. 13th.
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