(Editor’s Note: Parts of video have been edited to remove names)
Exclusive – The victim who was beaten with a baseball bat so hard that it broke the bat is breaking his silence speaking with Today’s Northumberland.
Shawn is still recovering from his injuries to his legs, arms and a fractured skull, but met with Today’s Northumberland on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 to set the record straight.
On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at approximately 7:00 a.m., Cobourg Police Service commenced an investigation into an assault that occurred in the area of Fisher Street and Kerr Street in the Town of Cobourg in which two males dressed in dark clothing and wearing face coverings entered a wooded area and assaulted two individuals with bear spray and a baseball bats.
Social media lit up following the assault calling for Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland’s resignation stating he was inciting violence from a previous letter he released.
Approximately 20 people stood outside Victoria Hall the day after the assault with signs calling for his resignation.
Shawn said the assault had “absolutely nothing to do with that.”
The primary motive for the assault were drugs.
On the morning of the attack, Shawn and his friend were sleeping in a tent in the bushes of a park near Fisher and Kerr Streets in Cobourg’s west end.
Between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Shawn heard the spray coming into the tent and knew immediately it was bear spray.
“I went to grab the zipper (of the tent) to open it and right away I was hit with something.”
Shawn’s friend quickly cut a hole in the back of the tent for both of them to escape with their dog.
“ I remember being hit in the temple (with the) first shot – pow!”
“I fell down and was hit again, and again, and again and again in the head.”
Shawn believes he was hit in the head, legs and arms at least 20 times.
At one point the bat broke from the beating he was taking and that’s when he stood up and said, “looks like you’re done here.”
At that point the suspects took off running.
“The three shots to the temple is not just going after someone to hurt somebody.”
Shawn believes the origin of the incident goes back to approximately two-weeks ago.
During the assault, Shawn spoke with one of the assailants while his friend left with one of the suspects to retrieve drugs worth an estimated value of $20,000.
“I sat with the guy for probably a good half-an-hour. He told me they’d been following me for about two-weeks.”
Shawn states the reason for the assault was he took a drug dealers safe/briefcase that was containing a large amount of fentanyl.
A known drug dealer had taken over an older person’s home. Inside the home was a safe/briefcase containing a large amount of drugs and Shawn took the safe.
One of the suspects stayed with Shawn, while another went with his friend to retrieve the safe/briefcase.
“She gave it all back – everything that we took.”
“I don’t know whether the public is ready to know what was in that – but there was 20 ounces of something you definitely do not want on the streets.”
Realizing the amount that was in the safe/briefcase posed a problem for Shawn.
“We were like – let’s just put this away and what do we do with it? Do we call the cops to get them to come pick it up – probably not.”
“Do you try and sell it?”
“You’d make a lot of money, but hell no. I don’t want my hands involved in anything like that.”
Shawn came up with the idea of reaching out to someone else that sells drugs and, “let them pick it up and take it away – out of this town.”
Shawn’s friend when with one of the suspects and retrieved the safe/briefcase.
“She gave it all back – everything that we took.”
The person that he had agreed to meet previously was just a few hours late as it was the same morning he was assaulted.
At the beginning of the interview, Shawn pulled no punches and admitted he’s no saint after hitch-hiking to Cobourg from New Brunswick when he was 18-years-old.
It was a hard life in New Brunswick and wanted to get away from the drug culture.
“I grew up as a poor kid. Was a drug addict. Got myself into trouble in New Brunswick and I came here and started a new life and I did well.”
Shawn was married and they owned their own house in Pickering.
When he was living in Brighton, he had his home broken into three times and then moved to Cobourg where he was living in his truck until it was impounded.
“I worked weekends, I worked side jobs and I worked hard.”
While in Cobourg he worked on concrete forming with Local 183, but, “the last year has not been a good part of my life.”
“Then I had to figure out other ways to live so I couch surfed.”
“Now I have nothing.”
Shawn’s drug of choice is crack cocaine.
Even some drug dealers Shawn believes are selling drugs to survive. They might have full-time jobs, but need the extra money to put food on the table.
Authorities told him to go to Transition House, but Shawn related what others have said about the facility.
“If you’re a drug user and you don’t want to do drugs and you’re trying to get away from it – you probably don’t want to be at Transition House.”
“That’s where everybody is doing drugs on the daily.”
If you’re trying to get clean Shawn, says, “you probably just want to cut yourself loose of all those people.”
“Welfare just dick’s your around.”
Since the assault, he’s been thrown out of Northumberland Hills Hospital, but is allowed to go back for his medications following the assault.
Because one of the suspects is still at large, Shawn said whenever he’s in the public he fears for his life.
It’s been a week since the beating and Shawn said he’s “very surprised” the remaining suspect still hasn’t been apprehended.
Shawn still hasn’t given an official interview to Cobourg Police because of the way he was treated by police.
“We were talking and the very next day I said I’d do it with him and he turned around and looked at me and said, “that’s kind of what happens to people who do drugs.”
After that, Shawn refused to do a witness statement.
At the end of the day – Shawn believes it was attempted murder.
“I absolutely do.”
“There was a time when me and a friend were in a house and things were really bad. We had a room in the basement and we grabbed bats that night and put them at the headboard of the bed. I said to her if we ever need to use these, swing for the fences, but whatever you do, never, ever hit anybody in the head with a baseball bat.”
“Then to think they swung that bat 20-times until it broke before they stopped.”
“I would say that’s attempted murder all the way. It was premeditated, preplanned, wore masks – what more can you say.”
To the outstanding suspect Shawn advises to turn himself in to police.
“Because it sounds like they are probably going to go kicking down doors of all your buddies and friends and you’re only just putting them in jeopardy for not even having you there and they are getting in trouble because they have things in their homes that they shouldn’t have.”
“Do yourself a favour and do them a favour.”
On Wednesday, July 16, 2025, with the assistance of uniform officers, 50-year-old Kevin OAKLEY, of Waterloo, was arrested and charged with the following offences:
Aggravated Assault
Assault with a weapon
Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
Disguise with intent
Administer Noxious Thing (bear spray)
The accused was held for a bail hearing and later remanded into custody.
The second suspect remains at large, and a warrant has been obtained for his arrest. He is identified as 44-year-old Jason ROBITAILLE of Cobourg. (see photo). ROBITAILLE is wanted for the following offences:
Aggravated Assault
Assault with a weapon
Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
Disguise with intent
Administer Noxious Thing (bear spray)
Five counts of Fail to comply with probation order
Police continue to search for ROBITAILLE. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the police at 905-372-6821 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS or visiting stopcrimehere.ca. Tips received through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward. If located, do not approach and call 911 immediately.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
