SPARTANBURG — Former Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Russell Lynch was arrested by Mexican authorities on Sept. 30 after mistakenly crossing the border with guns in his vehicle, his family told The Post and Courier.
Lynch, a 67-year-old former U.S. Marine, was moving from his home in Montana back to Spartanburg to be closer to family when the arrest occurred. He’d moved out west after a failed bid for sheriff against Chuck Wright in 2016.
He was taking the scenic route through the Southwest, and after spending the night of Sept. 29 in Tucson, Ariz., he decided to cross into Mexico as a pedestrian, according to his son, Morgan Lynch. But somehow, he got stuck in a vehicle lane that was crossing the border near Douglas, Arizona.
“His plan was to park and do a pedestrian walkover and not spend too much time,” Morgan said. “He never really intended to drive his vehicle in. He’s moving and he has his whole life in the car. He got turned around or in the wrong lane and kind of got stuck going through into Mexico.”
Lynch is an outdoorsman who served in the United States Marine Corps from 1981-89 before spending more than 20 years in the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. He had his guns with him.
“It was never his plan to take those into Mexico. He’s smart enough to know that,” Morgan said. “But they’ve got him. He’s in a federal prison in Hermosillo, Sonora.”
He’s scheduled to go before a judge the evening of Oct. 2 on charges related to the firearms.
Normally, foreigners aren’t allowed bail in Mexico, his family said, but because he’s older than 60 and because his family was quickly able to secure an apartment for him in Mexico, they hope a judge will let him stay in the apartment while he waits for a trial and sentencing. That process could take between eight months and two years, Morgan said.
If he’s convicted, he could get between seven and 30 years.
Complicating matters, Morgan said that his dad’s state-appointed attorney doesn’t speak English, so he’s not sure how well they’re able to communicate.
His family is desperately hoping they get him back and said Sen. Lindsey Graham’s office has reached out to help. Graham’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“He is so beloved by this community, and it’s literally because he spent his entire life serving this community; he knows everyone,” said his daughter, Lacy Lynch. “He’s done so much. He has touched so many lives through law enforcement.”
They’re also concerned about his health and the lack of treatment he would get in a Mexican prison.
Morgan Lynch said his dad had been taking the scenic route home in part because he didn’t know when he would get to do it again. He said he’s dealt with occasional skin cancer popping over over the last eight years, and is due for a double hip replacement.
He said he was able to talk to his dad only briefly after the arrest.
“I answered the phone, I said are you okay?” Morgan recalled. “He said he was OK, but he was definitely broken up and definitely not in a great place, mentally, emotionally.”
Bill Rhyne, Spartanburg’s incoming sheriff, served with Lynch when he first joined the sheriff’s office and is one of dozens of people who’ve sent the court in Mexico a letter of support for Lynch.
“He’s just very dedicated,” Rhyne said. “He really cared very deeply about the people he served. He probably cared at a different level about the people who worked for him.”
His family is now hoping and praying that Mexican authorities can see that his arrest was a misunderstanding and that he wasn’t trying to do anything wrong.
“This is such an unfortunate mistake,” Lacy said. “If anyone deserves help from this, it is my dad. He does not deserve to rot in Mexican jail. He is an upstanding member of the community. He’s a law-abiding citizen.”