Burnsville Man Charged After Woman Attacked on Park Trail
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Burnsville man is charged after investigators say he grabbed a woman from behind, threatened her with a knife and forced her to the ground along a park trail.
Dashawn Jawaun Newton, 23, is charged in Dakota County with felony false imprisonment, felony threats of violence and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault stemming from the New Year’s Day incident near Crystal Lake.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman told police she left her home around 7:45 a.m. and was walking alone on a trail that runs through Crystal Lake Park and the nearby boat launch.
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While on the trail, she was approached by a lighter-skinned Black man wearing a black sweatshirt with a gray vest, black pants, gloves, black tennis shoes and a stocking cap. The man asked repeated questions about the trails and whether he could walk on the lake, which made her uncomfortable. She told him her husband was in the area and continued walking.
About 10 minutes later, the same man came up behind her and put a gloved hand over her mouth, according to the complaint. He told her he had a knife and warned her not to scream. The woman immediately fought back. Investigators say the man threw her to the ground and restrained her while she tried to scratch his face and eyes. The woman believed the man intended to sexually assault her because she had no property with her. When the man asked whether her husband was wearing all black and she answered yes, he stood up and ran toward a parking lot.
The woman yelled for help and was found by a man who had been running on the trail. He told police he heard a loud male voice and ran toward it, finding the woman pale, disheveled and in shock on the side of the trail. He said she told him she had been tackled and threatened with a knife and that the suspect had covered her mouth. He did not see anyone else in the area.
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Officers searched the area and found disturbed snow consistent with a struggle and a black drawstring lying nearby. Investigators then reviewed surveillance footage from nearby apartment buildings and identified Newton as a suspect matching the description provided by the victim.
Police say Newton was captured on video driving a Mercedes SUV and entering an apartment complex near the park shortly before the assault. Surveillance showed him wearing a dark sweatshirt with a black vest and what appeared to be a black ski mask worn over his head and around his neck. The SUV left the garage shortly after and later returned, with video showing Newton exiting the elevator wearing different clothing and carrying what appeared to be a gray garment.
Records showed the Mercedes SUV was registered to a woman who lived in an apartment building adjacent to the boat launch. Apartment staff told police they were familiar with Newton and knew him to reside there. Additional surveillance footage showed him entering and leaving the building around the time of the reported assault.
On Jan. 3, police administered a photo lineup to the victim. She did not make a positive identification but reviewed the lineup multiple times and showed interest in Newton’s photo. Investigators noted the photo available was from May 2024 and showed Newton with a slimmer face and shoulder-length hair.
PREVIOUSLY: Woman Fights Off Attacker on Burnsville Park Trail
Officers obtained a search warrant for the apartment and on Jan. 5 stopped the Mercedes SUV after confirming Newton was driving. He was arrested and booked into the Dakota County Jail. During a search of the apartment, police say they located a gray sweatshirt with an attached black vest that appeared to be missing a drawstring, along with black shoes, a black hair cap and multiple pairs of black running gloves.
After being advised of his rights, Newton agreed to speak with investigators. According to the complaint, he acknowledged being in the park that morning and said he went for a walk after driving there in the SUV. He told police he spoke with a woman on the trail about park boundaries, then urinated in the woods. Newton claimed the woman began yelling at him and threatened that her husband would beat him up. He said she approached him and he pushed her, causing her to fall. He denied placing his hand over her mouth and said the drawstring found at the scene may have come off when the woman grabbed at him.
Newton is charged with felony false imprisonment for intentionally restraining another person without consent, felony threats of violence for threatening a crime of violence with intent to terrorize and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault for intentionally inflicting or attempting to inflict bodily harm. Jail records also list probable cause counts for second-degree criminal sexual conduct based on fear of great bodily harm, along with misdemeanor warrants for indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.
Newton was booked into the Dakota County Jail on Jan. 5. Bail was set at $40,000 with conditions or $100,000 without conditions. Court records show conditions include no contact with the victim, remaining law-abiding, no possession of firearms or dangerous weapons and participation in the pretrial release program if eligible. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 4, 2026, in Hastings.
