Gravenhurst man pleads guilty in hammer assault

A Gravenhurst man pleaded guilty to a litany of offences in court earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Matthias Dawson pleaded guilty in a Bracebridge courtroom to assault, mischief over $5,000, possession of cocaine, fraud, theft and breaching multiple court conditions. The charges stemmed from several incidents stretching back more than two years.

On January 25, 2020 police received a high-priority assault call regarding an ongoing incident in Gravenhurst. Court heard that Dawson and another man had become involved in a physical altercation over a pack of cigarettes. A hammer was involved in the fight and ultimately Dawson struck the other man with the hammer. Both men were ultimately charged and no serious injuries resulted, the Court heard.

On February 5 police received a call to a disturbance at a different residence in Gravenhurst. Court heard that Dawson had become enraged, smashing holes in the walls and causing other damage in the residence. It was ultimately determined that he had caused roughly $17,500 worth of damage to the home.

On February 18 first responders were called to a suspected drug overdose in Gravenhurst. A woman at the scene was treated for an overdose by paramedics but the incident ultimately led to Dawson, who was also at the scene, being found in possession of cocaine as well as digital scales, a knife and a debt collection list.

On June 28, 2020 police were called to a hotel in Gravenhurst. The clerk reported that Dawson had come into the reception area with another person at 4:58 a.m. and had proceeded to rummage through the till and a hotel office, as no staff were present at the time. Court heard a paycheck and other documents were stolen from the hotel, and Dawson was seen on CCTV and identified by the police.

On October 21, 2020 the OPP were called regarding the suspected theft of a debit card. Court heard that Dawson had stolen the debit card from someone he knew before using it to make eight transactions. He was again identified using CCTV.

Dawson’s sentencing was put over until April 21 pending a pre-sentence report.