The sheriff's office received a call at about 4:45 p.m. reporting a domestic disturbance in the 2000 block of Sand Point Road.
When deputies arrived, they learned that Dawson, 31, and his wife had allegedly been in an argument that had turned physical, Lee said.
During the incident, Dawson also allegedly ripped a phone line out of a wall, Lee said.
Dawson was arrested on suspicion of spousal battery and damaging a phone line. He was booked into county jail on $20,000 bail, but was released the next day.
Dawson could not immediately be reached for comment this morning, but according to information published about him during his 2010 election campaign, he was on the sheriff's Municipal Advisory Council and was the treasurer for the Discovery Bay Parent Teacher Association.
He was also on the town of Discovery Bay Police Services Committee, the School District Committee and the county Aviation Advisory Committee.
He was appointed to an open seat on the Community Services Board before being elected to serve a four-year term in November 2010. He listed his job as a stay-at-home father to his two daughters.
As of this morning, no charges had been filed against him in Contra Costa County Superior Court.
