UKIAH — Mendocino County sheriff's deputies arrested two Ukiah residents in separate cases over the weekend: a woman accused in a Dollar Tree robbery and a man who the sheriff's office says threatened to shoot a sergeant. Both were on pretrial release from earlier cases.
Dollar Tree case
Dayniece Shillings, 30, was arrested Saturday, about two weeks after a store employee at the Dollar Tree in the 1300 block of North State Street tried to stop her from leaving with merchandise, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputies say Shillings took $20 to $30 worth of merchandise around 6:40 p.m. Oct. 17. When an employee confronted her and tried to get it back, she threatened him and tried to hit him, then left with the items, according to the release. Using force or threats to keep stolen property can elevate a theft to robbery under California law. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage, took witness statements and showed the employee a photo lineup, and he picked Shillings out of it, the sheriff's office said.
Around 2 a.m. Oct. 31, deputies responding to a reported theft near the railroad tracks on Brush Street found Shillings at her encampment, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies say they saw items connected to the Dollar Tree case in her tent. They got a search warrant, recovered the merchandise and arrested her, the sheriff's office said. Deputies also found drug paraphernalia, according to the release.
Shillings was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on suspicion of second-degree robbery, theft, violating a court order and possessing drug paraphernalia. She was being held on $100,000 bail.
Lake Ridge Road disturbance
Lewis Dishman, 44, was arrested early Sunday after deputies responded around 1:02 a.m. to a report of a man yelling and causing a disturbance at a neighboring property in the 5000 block of Lake Ridge Road, east of Ukiah.
A sergeant found Dishman yelling, behaving aggressively and threatening violence against law enforcement, the sheriff's office said. According to the release, he threatened to shoot the sergeant if deputies didn't leave. He also came toward the sergeant from higher ground carrying a metal pole, then dropped it and approached deputies with clenched fists. The release doesn't say whether he had a gun. Deputies drew a Taser. Dishman then followed their orders and was arrested without further incident.
According to the sheriff's office, Dishman said he was under the influence of a controlled substance, and deputies found about 1.5 grams of suspected methamphetamine on him.
He was booked on suspicion of threatening a public officer, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possessing a controlled substance and violating a court order. He was being held on $10,000 bail.
Anyone with information about the Dollar Tree case can call the sheriff's office at 707-463-4086, option 1, or the anonymous tip line at 707-234-2100.