MIDDLETOWN, LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County International Charter School is a free, public school for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade, located in Middletown, the small community in southern Lake County halfway between Clearlake and Calistoga. The school’s mission is to educate students to be literate, knowledgeable, principled, local, national and global citizens. They emphasize academic excellence and artistic expression to help students of diverse backgrounds and abilities advance academically, artistically, socially and personally. A recent grant allowed the purchase of several Dell laptop computers and Apple iPads for the school, located at 15850 Armstrong Street.
The Lake County International Charter School in Middletown
Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s office reported that last Tuesday morning, at 8:25, Deputies responded to the school on reports of a burglary. Someone had entered the school and stolen four of the Dell Laptops and eight iPads. Detectives, working with the patrol deputies, interviewed all potential witnesses and reviewed video surveillance while searching for evidence at the scene. Someone reported finding a Twin Pines Casino player’s card at the school, with the name Shellby Dunlap. Detectives researched the name and found that Dunlap matched an arrest warrant issued out of Napa County for drug related offenses. The Sheriff’s office relayed the message to patrol deputies to be on the lookout for Ms. Dunlap.
Twin Pine Casino in Middletown. Dunlap left key evidence here.
On Friday, March 14, in the early morning hours a deputy was conducting a walk-through at the Twin Pines Casino, which is located at the southern end of Middletown along Highway 29. The deputy saw that there were two handbags left near the security booth, and was told they had been there for more than a day. The deputy showed the security officer a photo of Shellby Dunlap, and the officer recognized her as the woman who had left the bags there. An inspection of the bags revealed that they contained two Dell laptops, which could be confirmed as two of the four stolen from the school. Detectives then learned the Dunlap had been arrested the same day as the burglary had been discovered, Tuesday March 11, in Sonoma County, and was still in custody there.
21-year-old Shellby Gael Dunlap has been in a lot of trouble over the past 5 months. She was arrested in Napa County three times; on October 12, November 9, and January 8, all on drug related charges, including possession of narcotics, hypodermic needles and other paraphernalia, and prescription drugs without a prescription. There was also a charge of resisting arrest and felony contempt of court. Her arrest in Sonoma County on March 11 was for the usual drug charges, and happened at the Graton Casino in Rohnert Park by security personnel there. She has listed her residence in both the city of Napa, and in Pope Valley, which is right outside of Middletown.
Shellby Gael Dunlap booking photo from Lake County
Detective from Lake County learned that when she was arrested in Rohnert Park, she had one of the missing iPads in her possession. Detectives made arrangements with Sonoma County to take her off their hands and bring her to the Lake County Hill Correctional Facility for booking on charges of burglary and possession of stolen property. She told detectives that while she was aware the equipment was stolen, she claimed that she wasn’t the one who did it.
Dunlap remains in custody on $50,000 bail. Anyone with more information about the burglary at the charter school is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s office at 707-263-2690.
Read more crime news from Lake County.
Read more crime news from Napa County.
Read more crime news from Sonoma County.
