A man who beat his ex-girlfriend with a baseball bat pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of second-degree assault in Snohomish County Superior Court. He is expected to be sentenced to a prison term of less than two years.
Tommy Kevin Dawson, 43, of Mukilteo was accused of a beating that left the woman brain damaged and mutilated in the Jan. 13, 2007, attack in Lake Stevens.
Dawson went to an apartment of a mutual friend on Grade Road where his ex-girlfriend had been staying. The victim previously obtained a court order prohibiting Dawson from contacting her, according to court documents.
The day before the attack, the woman went to a court hearing in an attempt to get custody of an infant she and Dawson had together. Dawson didn’t appear in court.
Later, Dawson went to the mutual friend’s apartment and argued with the victim, deputy prosecutor George Appel said in court papers. He was told to leave.
After a time, he returned to the apartment with a gift that the mutual friend thought was a peace offering.
The ex-girlfriend had been asleep on a couch, and Dawson started striking her with an aluminum Louisville Slugger bat. The friend’s teenage son fought Dawson off, forcing him to leave, documents said.
Dawson originally was charged with first-degree assault. He accepted Appel’s offer to plead guilty to a reduced charge, but he didn’t take full responsibility.
He told Judge Larry McKeeman that he accepted the plea offer because there was a substantial likelihood a jury would find him guilty of a more serious charge that carried a greater penalty. He also accused potential witnesses of lying to police.
McKeeman scheduled a Feb. 7 sentencing hearing.
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