Man charged with attempted murder

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has charged a Fort Walton Beach man with attempted murder, one day after he was served with a temporary injunction for protection against domestic violence by the victim.

According to a Sheriff's Office press release, deputies were called to Kathy Court in Mary Esther around 6 a.m. this morning for a battery in progress. They found a 58-year old woman of that address inside on the couch, with blood on her face and head.

One of her children told deputies that he had found her on the ground near a car and saw her boyfriend, 46-year old Arnold Jerome Knight, standing nearby with a dark metal object in his hand. The victim was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola by medical helicopter for treatment of her injuries.

On Sept. 25, Arnold had been served with a temporary injunction for protection against domestic violence which stated he was to have no contact with the victim. During a search near the crime scene this morning, deputies found a 12-16 inch steel pipe in a drainage ditch. It was tested and showed a positive presumptive test for the presence of blood.