By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Cedar City man already jailed for a violent February assault is facing additional charges — this time for an incident dating back to October.
Troy Jesse Dawes, 23, was recently charged in connection with an assault that allegedly occurred on Oct. 5, 2024.
Dawes was served the new charges while in custody following his Feb. 13 arrest, when authorities say he broke down the door of a woman’s apartment and brutally attacked her in front of her four-year-old daughter.
“Police had been investigating the October incident when he was arrested for the allegations in February,” said Iron County Deputy Attorney Trajan Evans.
Specific details about the October incident are not publicly available in court records, as Dawes was served only a summons for that case.
Dawes was already on probation from an earlier assault occurring in July 2024, during which another victim sustained significant injuries, including a fractured nose and ocular bone.
Although Dawes initially denied involvement in that incident, he later claimed self-defense. Surveillance footage from that incident showed Dawes leaving the scene moments before the victim emerged visibly injured and bleeding.
The February assault resulted in multiple charges, including burglary, felony aggravated assault causing loss of consciousness, domestic violence in the presence of a child, property destruction, and intoxication.
According to charging documents, police responding around 2 a.m. found extensive damage throughout the victim’s apartment. Dawes allegedly threw the woman into furniture and walls, repeatedly punched her, choked her until she lost consciousness, and slammed her head against the floor.
“A TV, closet doors, the front door frame, a coffee table, and stool were destroyed,” the affidavit stated.
The victim managed to shout to her daughter, urging the child to escape during the assault. Officers later found the child unharmed.
Authorities noted Dawes had been asked to leave the apartment earlier that evening due to heavy intoxication. Although a friend drove him away, he returned shortly afterward, initiating the attack.
When asked by police about what happened, Dawes laughed and cursed at officers, “showing no remorse,” the affidavit stated.
Due to his repeated violent behavior, authorities requested continued detention for Dawes, describing him as a substantial threat to community safety and a flight risk if released.