A Silver Springs man was arrested Thursday after he allegedly brandished a hatchet and threatened a woman who said she was going to call the police on him for taking her dog.
Dylan Thomas Tolson, 21, of SE 22nd Place, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy she believed Tolson took her dog and walked towards his residence. She said she met Tolson while he was walking on SE 182nd Avenue with another woman and asked him to return the dog, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said Tolson denied taking the animal. When she told him that she was going to call the police, he pulled out a silver-colored hatchet with a black handle, held it at his side and said, “If you call the police, you’re dead.” The victim said she pulled out her phone and again said she was calling the police, and he repeated, “If you call the police, you’re dead,” the report said.
The victim said Tolson and the female witness turned and started walking north on SE 182nd Avenue. She said she followed them to Tolson’s residence on SE 22nd Place, then left and called 911. The victim said she felt in fear for her life when Tolson threatened. She provided a sworn written statement, according to the report.
The victim gave the deputy an address on SE 20th Place where she thought Tolson could be located. The deputy responded to the residence and made contact with Tolson and the female witness. Tolson admitted he argued with the victim but denied making any verbal threats or displaying a hatchet, the report said.
Tolson said he was given a hatchet earlier in the day and the witness agreed to re-enter the residence to retrieve it. She came back with a silver hatchet with a black handle that matched the description the victim provided, according to the report.
The witness said she was walking with Tolson when the victim approached them asking about a dog. She said she heard Tolson say that if the victim called the cops, she’d be dead. However, the witness did not observe Tolson holding a hatchet. She refused to provide a written statement of her account, the report said.
Tolson was being held in the Marion County Jail on $2,000 bond.