SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A Springfield woman is fighting for accountability after surviving a brutal domestic assault that nearly claimed her life.

Dakota Sebring, who turned 24 in March 2025, says her birthday became a night of terror when she was violently attacked by her ex-boyfriend of five years, Dalton Ridgeway-Williams.

Sebring reports that the assault lasted more than an hour and involved repeated strangulation, beatings, and psychological intimidation — violence she believed she would not survive.

Although she escaped and filed a police report, she says Dalton has since violated the resulting order of protection 19 times while on pretrial release, yet has served only about 60 days in jail.

Sebring states she now lives in fear, taking every possible measure to ensure her safety, yet increasingly frustrated that “a piece of paper” cannot stop someone determined to disregard the law.

Sebring had spent her birthday evening out with friends when Dalton allegedly appeared at several of the same establishments, grabbing her and issuing verbal threats.

After multiple encounters — behavior that she describes as consistent with the cycle of abuse — she eventually agreed to meet him at his residence, hoping to de-escalate the situation through conversation.

According to Sebring, Dalton began recording her upon entry, accusing her of breaking into his home but refusing to call law enforcement.

What followed, she says, was a prolonged and violent assault.

She reports being:

• Beaten and dragged inside and outside the home
• Strangled multiple times, to the point of near unconsciousness
• Humiliated, threatened, and restrained

She ultimately escaped long enough to call 911.

Dalton fled before officers arrived and turned himself in approximately two weeks later.

He was charged with aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery, and unlawful restraint, though the restraint charge was later dismissed.

Despite the severity of the case, Sebring says Dalton repeatedly violated the court-issued protection order.

Documentation includes allegations that he:

• Contacted her directly
• Used his mother as an intermediary to reach her
• Illegally accessed her financial accounts and her vehicle
• Posted threatening and harassing messages on Facebook
  — including telling her to “find a safe place to spend Thanksgiving”

Each violation, according to Sebring, resulted in minimal sanctions — often just hours or days in custody.

Sebring has been granted a two-year order of protection, but she reports that Dalton continues to post about her online, a direct violation of the court’s directives.

His upcoming court hearings largely pertain to his unrelated Class X felony drug case, and Sebring fears that her domestic violence case may simply become a bargaining chip in a plea agreement rather than a priority deserving full prosecution.

She questions why a life-threatening assault is treated as less serious than the drug charges and why repeated violations of protective orders do not carry stronger consequences.

Sebring has submitted extensive evidence — including video recordings, text messages, photographs, surveillance footage, and police documentation — and hopes the justice system will finally intervene meaningfully.

She emphasizes that she remains at risk so long as Dalton continues to face minimal repercussions.

Despite the trauma she endured, Sebring recently completed nursing school and is preparing to graduate, determined to move forward with her life.

In addition to the alleged violations of the protection order, Dalton has a prior criminal history.

In 2024, he was arrested after authorities reportedly found:

• 23 pounds of marijuana
• Three firearms
• Three pounds of THC wax
• $44,477 in cash

He was charged with being an armed habitual criminal, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, delivery of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana, and armed violence.