Charges: Ex-roommate returned to former home with knife

An ex-roommate is accused of returning to his old home and threatening his former roommates with a knife.

Mark Anthony Dawson, 44, was charged Monday in Blue Earth County Court with two counts of felony 1st-degree burglary, three felony counts of 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of threats of violence, also a felony.

According to a criminal complaint, Dawson knocked on the door of his former home on the 600 block of N 5th St in the early morning hours of February 10.

A man who lived at the home told police he was sleeping on the couch when he heard the knocking.  He recognized Dawson, who had recently been evicted from the residence after an altercation with another roommate.

The complaint says Dawson asked where that roommate was and attempted to enter the home.  When the man told Dawson to wait, Dawson allegedly pulled out a knife, held it to the man’s neck, and asked him if he wanted to die.

The complaint says the man tried to get to his phone to call 911, but Dawson pointed the knife at him, backed him into a corner, and told him not to call the cops.  The man told police he grabbed a kitchen knife to defend himself after Dawson went upstairs.

The charging document says Dawson encountered a third roommate on his way upstairs, thrust the knife towards him in a threatening manner, and told him not to move.

According to the complaint, the man Dawson was looking for was in bed and woke up to Dawson threatening to stab him.  The complaint says a physical altercation ensued. The victim suffered a skinned-up knee and a bloody lip during the fight.

The complaint says the roommates had physically detained Dawson by the time officers arrived.