A Peterborough, Ont., man designated a dangerous offender died earlier this week while serving his sentence at Millhaven Institution in Bath, Ont., according to federal officials.
The Correctional Service of Canada says on June 27 Thomas Straub died in custody while at the institution’s regional treatment centre following an illness.
“As in all cases involving the death of an inmate, Correctional Service of Canada policy requires that the coroner be notified,” the CSC stated Friday.
According to the Peterborough Police Service, in November 2016, the then 26-year-old Straub attacked a woman waiting for a bus on George St. He dragged her into a building before two men intervened. Police said Straub also swung a butcher knife at one of the men.
In 2019 he pleaded guilty to armed robbery, assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and breach of probation.
The Crown sought out the dangerous offender designation, noting he had a long criminal past, including 90 convictions of which 29 involved violence or threats of violence, according to The Peterborough Examiner. He also set fire to a jail cell while in custody and wrote letters threatening violence and sexual assault including against his former counsel.
In January 2020, the Ontario Court of Justice agreed, designating Straub a dangerous offender. He was initially sentenced to five years in prison, along with a 10-year supervision after his release.
However, the Crown appealed the sentence, seeking he receive an indeterminate sentence. In January 2022, the Ontario Court of Appeal agreed with the Crown’s appeal.