Christmas Eve burglary and vandalism of Millville church ends with woman’s arrest

MILLVILLE, Calif., — Authorities say a woman who broke into and vandalized the Community Baptist Church in Millville was arrested after a K-9 was deployed and assisted in her apprehension on Christmas Eve, Friday, Dec. 24.

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Shasta County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the church, located at 23625 Millville Way, just west of Old 44 Drive/Millville Plains Road, around 1:30 p.m. after receiving a burglary alarm activation from the location, Shasta County Sheriff’s Sergeant Jose Gonzalez said of the incident and arrest. A Cal Fire Officer was also dispatched to the church after SHASCOM emergency dispatchers received a subsequent fire alarm activation at the location.

When deputies arrived and began checking the exterior of the church, they found an exterior set of glass double doors leading into the church that had been pried open and were ajar.

Peering through the glass doors, deputies spotted a lone woman inside the church, but when the burglar realized deputies were approaching, she fled through the interior of the church and out of sight.

Deputies requested additional resources to the scene, at which time additional deputies and California Highway Patrol officers responded to the scene. A CHP – Northern Division Air Ops helicopter was also launched to assist.

Once officials had established a secure perimeter around the church, deputies began hailing the woman and ordering her to exit the church; however, she refused officers’ orders.

After waiting for several minutes, officials entered the church and with Sheriff’s K-9 Fritz’s nose leading the way, began searching the building.

Upon entering the church, deputies observed that the building had been vandalized according to Gonzalez; who said, “The church was saturated in a white dust which was later discovered to be from one of the church’s fire extinguishers.”

Officials quickly located the burglar, since identified as 24-year-old Shayla Lynn Adkins, sitting inside the chapel portion of the church. Adkins has a lengthy criminal history in Shasta County and has been arrested numerous times.

Adkins was given multiple commands to get down on her stomach and place her hands out to her sides, but she refused to listen to the officials; at which time K-9 Fritz was deployed and assisted in her apprehension.

Adkins was ultimately arrested and transported to a local hospital for treatment of dog bite injuries sustained in her capture. She was later booked into the Shasta County Jail on suspicion of two counts of obstructing and/or resisting officers, burglary, causing a false fire alarm, and vandalism.

Online jail records indicate she remains in custody, in lieu of $25,000 bail or bond.

Anyone with further information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact SHASCOM at (530) 245-6500. Callers can refer to incident file number 21S040997 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.