On the night table: Lauren Hower

Dangerous offender status sought for convicted killer

Crown prosecutors intend to apply to have a convicted killer, who also admitted his guilt in an assault on a stranger at The Forks and a robbery at a local beer vendor, designated as a dangerous offender.

Daniel Christopher Dumas, who is in his mid-30s, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and robbery in front of provincial court Judge Donovan Dvorak on Monday for the attacks on June 6 and 7, 2025. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutor Monique Cam said the Crown plans to apply for a dangerous offender designation for Dumas, which, if granted, could result in him being given an indefinite prison sentence.

“The Crown does intend to make an application at a future date … for a remand for assessment to have Mr. Dumas assessed by a court-ordered assessor for the purpose of pursuing a dangerous offender application,” Cam said.

Winnipeg woman saves child, father in ‘courageous’ river rescue

A Winnipeg woman is being hailed as a hero after saving a father and his child from the Red River last month.

Police officers were called to St. John’s Park shortly before 7 p.m. on Aug. 24 after receiving a report a child had fallen into the river, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Wednesday.

When officers arrived, they found the unconscious child on shore receiving first aid from a bystander. Police took over life-saving efforts before the child was rushed to hospital in critical condition. The child was later stabilized and is expected to make a full recovery.

Police said an investigation by the child abuse unit determined a woman witnessed the child fall into the water, followed by the child’s father, who tried to save his child. The woman jumped into the river, first pulling the father to safety before swimming back out for the child.

On the night table: Lauren Hower

Lauren Hower

BookToker (@bigbooklady)

I just finished reading Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg; it came out in May, and I really enjoyed it. I ended up reading half of it and then listening to the rest as an audiobook, so that I could move and do stuff while still absorbing it. I really enjoyed that.

The narrator is this woman in her 70s, she’s queer and her partner has passed away — they had lung cancer and died 15 years before the actual narration of the book begins. It seems like she’s kind of going through this second grieving process, 15 years after her partner’s death. And then she kind of stumbles upon these two queer-presenting people in a coffee shop, and it’s unclear if she actually follows them home, or if she’s sort of retelling her relationship with her partner through these two people. It’s kind of like an imagined relationship these two people are having. It’s very interesting.

Naked man dies after jolt from police Taser

A Transcona man says he was lucky to be awake early Sunday when, shortly after 4 a.m., a stranger smashed through his screen door and kicked in the front door of his home.

“It’s all I can think about, like what if I was sleeping?” said the man, whom the Free Press is not naming to protect his identity. “Being awake gave me just a couple of extra seconds to deal with him before he got his whole body in.”

He was sitting on his couch when he heard the glass shatter and saw someone trying to force his way inside.

“Glass flew in and this guy — he was a big guy — tried to climb through the screen door,” the man said. “I hopped off the couch and just remember screaming for help. Well, of course it’s four in the morning, so nobody’s going to help, right? I wasn’t thinking straight.”

Letters, Sept. 2

I read Maggie Macintosh’s story with frustration at our city’s continued lack of action on pedestrian safety. I was particularly angered by the fact the “WSD board was unsuccessful last year in making an appeal to city council to permanently reduce speeds around its elementary school buildings.”