A Terlingua business owner indicted on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon has claimed the incident stemmed from alleged drug activity on his property, according to reporting by Big Bend Sentinel.
Jeff Dean Lynch, 59, owner of Venga Cafe and Basecamp lodgings, was indicted by a Brewster County grand jury in July 2025 in connection with a Sept. 16, 2024, incident. The indictment was made public Dec. 5, 2025.
According to the indictment, Lynch is accused of threatening Terry Allen Schreier with imminent bodily injury by striking the front and rear windshields of a vehicle with a wooden club resembling a table leg and attempting to pull Schreier from the vehicle, tearing his shirt. The indictment further alleges that a deadly weapon was used or exhibited during the incident.
The charge is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Lynch has denied the allegations and contends the situation involved alleged drug activity on his property, including accusations that Schreier was selling drugs to minors. Those claims have not been independently verified in court records tied to the indictment.
The indictment lists a bond set at $10,000. Arrest records were not immediately available.
Delays between an alleged incident and indictment are not unusual in the Big Bend region, where felony cases may take months to be presented to a grand jury. In Brewster County, additional time may pass before indictments become public due to procedures requiring confirmation of certified mail delivery to defendants prior to filing.
