Springfield Woman Speaks Out After Ex-Boyfriend’s Brutal Attack — And 19 Alleged Violations of Her Protection Order

At 24 years old, Dakota Sebring thought her birthday would be nothing more than an evening out with friends. Instead, March 16, 2025, turned into a night she barely survived — one marked by a violent attack from her ex-boyfriend, Dalton E. Ridgeway-Williams, that Sebring says lasted over an hour. Strangled, beaten and terrorized, she believed she might die that night.

But that was only the start of her nightmare. After reporting the assault and obtaining a protective order, Sebring says Ridgeway-Williams has broken that order an astonishing 19 times — all while on pretrial release. According to court and police records, his criminal history is already substantial: back in January 2024, Ridgeway-Williams was arrested in a major drug and weapons bust. Officers searching his home seized three firearms, over 23 pounds of cannabis, three pounds of THC wax, and over $44,000 in cash.

In March 2025, he was arrested again — this time on aggravated domestic battery charges tied to alleged strangulation and domestic violence involving Sebring. Then, just this past September, he was reportedly picked up for violating a protective order.

Sebring now lives in fear. She says the police report and court orders — “just a piece of paper” in her words — offer little real protection. She’s changed where she lives, watches her back constantly, and fears Ridgeway-Williams might try again. What upsets her most is that the system that was supposed to protect her seems powerless to stop someone who refuses to respect it.

In interviews with police, she described the birthday attack: Ridgeway-Williams allegedly showed up at several of the same bars and restaurants where she was socializing, confronted her, grabbed her, and issued verbal threats. Things rapidly escalated into a violent, hour-long assault. She says afterwards she could barely breathe, feared for her life, and had little memory of all that happened.

Now, Sebring is pushing for accountability. She wants to make sure Ridgeway-Williams stays behind bars — not released again until trial. And she hopes her story will warn others — no order of protection can stop a determined abuser unless police and the courts enforce it.

For now, while the court steps through hearings and possibly stricter bail conditions, Sebring continues to rebuild — cautiously, shakily, one day at a time.