#

The Concord man charged with vandalizing cars outside this year’s state GOP convention, Lawrence Dunlap, agreed to jail time as part of a plea deal reached this week with prosecutors.

Dunlap, 37, was seen skateboarding outside Concord High School in April on the day of the Republican convention. He was later identified as the suspect behind dozens of keyed cars.

The deal he reached Monday in Merrimack Superior Court has all but three charges dropped. On top of that, the remaining three counts were downgraded from felonies to misdemeanors.

Dunlap was sentenced to 190 days in jail on one count, with credit for 108 days already served pretrial. On the two other charges, he is receiving a suspended sentence of 12 months. Those sentences will hang over Dunlap for the next three years to ensure he remains on good behavior. Conditions include undergoing a mental health evaluation, undertaking any necessary treatment, and making restitution to the victims for any cost not covered by their auto insurance. Dunlap is also not to contact any of the victims in the case.

Police zeroed in on Dunlap after viewing surveillance video from outside the high school, including video of a skateboard-riding figure believed responsible for damaging the cars. Once they identified the skateboarder as Dunlap, police executed a search warrant at his South Spring Street home where they found several guns, including an AR-15 rifle. Police also found a bag containing latex gloves, flex cuffs, dark clothes, face masks, a billy club, and a medieval-style mace. Raising more red flags was the document described as a suicide note manifesto Dunlap reportedly wrote.

Based on selections of the manifesto-suicide note released by police, Dunlap echoed some of the anti-Donald-Trump sentiment that appeared on his social media accounts.

“I can’t continue to exist for everyone else,” Dunlap wrote. “I truly despise humanity and all the filth we have accepted as acceptable. This world and economy requires personalities like Scott Herzog and Donald Trump. I’m sorry for the pain I know I will cause with this decision. Have me cremated and throw the ashes in the trash.” The full manifesto has not been made public. Concord Police denied NHJournal’s Right to Know request for a copy in May. On Tuesday, NHJournal renewed its request for the manifesto in light of the resolution to the case.

After Dunlap’s arrest, NHJournal discovered several anti-Trump social media messages he had posted, apparently in response to events in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.

““Y’all[Trump supporters] lost your s–t when [Obama] tried to fix healthcare. Never mind the sheer f—ery Trump has pulled for the last for [sic] years,” Dunlap posted.

Dunlap recently lost his job as a realtor and has been suffering depression and suicidal thoughts in the past year, according to comments made by Dunlap’s wife to police.

Locked up since his arrest in April on charges he vandalized cars outside the state GOP convention, skateboarding anti-Trumper Lawrence Dunlap could be back at a skatepark in time for the general election.

Dunlap, 37, is charged with 11 felony counts of criminal mischief after he allegedly skated around cars parked outside Concord High School during the April 14 GOP event and put deep scratches into the paint of attendees’ vehicles. Dozens of Republican volunteers reported their cars had been keyed when they left the convention venue.

According to court records, Assistant Merrimack County Attorney Carley McWhirk asked on Aug. 1 for more time to bring indictments against Dunlap. The extra time will allow her to work out a plea.

“The State and defense have discussed bail concerns as well as an ultimate disposition in these matters. The parties are working to that result and are anticipating an agreed upon disputation in September,” Whirk wrote.

Dunlap has been jailed since April after it was ruled he is a potential danger to the community and cannot be safely released on any bail conditions. 

Police zeroed in on Dunlap after viewing surveillance video from outside the high school. Once they identified the skateboarder as Dunlap, police executed a search warrant at his South Spring Street home where they found several guns, including an AR-15 rifle. Police also found a bag containing latex gloves, flex cuffs, dark clothes, face masks, a billy club, and a medieval-style mace.

Raising more red flags: A document described as a suicide note or manifesto Dunlap reportedly wrote.

In his screed, Dunlap echoed some of the anti-Donald-Trump sentiment that appeared on his social media accounts. 

“I can’t continue to exist for everyone else,” Dunlap wrote. “I truly despise humanity and all the filth we have accepted as acceptable. This world and economy require personalities like Scott Herzog and Donald Trump. I’m sorry for the pain I know I will cause with this decision. Have me cremated and throw the ashes in the trash.”

The full manifesto has not been made public, and Concord Police denied NHJournal’s Right to Know request for a copy.

It’s not clear why Dunlap included Herzog in the manifesto along with Trump. In October 2022, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office announced that Herzog of Norwell, Mass., had been sentenced to a year and a half in prison “for failing to report approximately $1.5 million in income to the Internal Revenue Service.” Herzog owned a landscaping business in the South Shore area.

After Dunlap’s arrest, NHJournal discovered several anti-Trump messages he had posted, apparently in response to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“Y’all [Trump supporters] lost your s–t when [Obama] tried to fix healthcare. Never mind the sheer f—ery Trump has pulled for the last for [sic] years,” Dunlap posted.

Dunlap recently lost his job as a relator and has been suffering depression and suicidal thoughts in the past year, according to comments made by Dunlap’s wife to police.

Dunlap’s arrest happened a few months before Thomas Crooks, 20, tried to assassinate Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. Trump’s ear was grazed in the shooting. Rally attendee Corey Comperatore was killed while shielding his family from gunfire. Crooks was killed by Secret Service agents. There’s no known motive for Crooks’ attempt, though he reportedly considered killing President Joe Biden and British Princess Kate Middleton.

Lawrence Dunlap won’t be skating this time.

The 37-year-old skateboard-riding Concord realtor had guns and a manifesto in his home when he was arrested for keying 11 cars during the state GOP convention on April 14. A judge has ruled he’s staying in jail for now.

Concord District Court Judge Sarah Christie denied bail for Dunlap on Monday, saying the alarming items police found, as well as evidence about his mental health, are cause for concern about the risk he poses to the community.

Last week, police released a photo of a skateboard-riding figure they believed was responsible for damaging the cars parked outside Concord High School. Once they determined it was Dunlap, they executed a search warrant at his South Spring Street home on Friday, where they found several guns, including an AR-15 rifle. They also found a bag containing latex gloves, flex cuffs, dark clothes, face masks, a billy club, and a medieval-style mace. Raising more red flag was the document described as a suicide note-manifesto Dunlap wrote.

In it, he echoed some of the anti-Donald-Trump sentiment that appeared on his social media accounts.

“I can’t continue to exist for everyone else,” Dunlap wrote. “I truly despise humanity and all the filth we have accepted as acceptable. This world and economy requires personalities like Scott Herzog and Donald Trump. I’m sorry for the pain I know I will cause with this decision. Have me cremated and throw the ashes in the trash.”

In October 2022, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office announced that Scott Herzog of Norwell, Mass., had been sentenced to a year and a half in prison “for failing to report approximately $1.5 million in income to the Internal Revenue Service.” Herzog owned a landscaping business in the South Shore area.

The full manifesto was not available on Monday.

After Dunlap’s arrest on Friday, NHJournal discovered several anti-Trump messages he had posted, apparently in response to events in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Y’all (Trump supporters) lost your s–t when [Obama] tried to fix healthcare. Never mind the sheer f—ery Trump has pulled for the last for [sic] years,” Dunlap posted.

In addition to the vandalism of their cars, several of the Republican volunteers also reported having previously received threatening phone calls and letters.

In the case of state Rep. Lorie Ball (R-Salem.), one letter included an image of a gun and a handwritten message urging that someone “blow a f***ing hole in a gun owner’s head today. Save our children from GOP pr*cks.” She reported the message to the police at the time.

Asked about the increase in angry rhetoric and violence targeting Republicans, House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) called it “the predictable and inevitable result of inundating children from an early age with messages of hate for their own country, family, culture, and for themselves.”

Concord Police Detective Evan Cristy writes in his report that Dunlap was identified as the suspect in the vandalism case after a woman walking her dog saw him on the day of the incident.

The woman told police she saw Dunlap get out of a white van and begin photographing the parked cars, Cristy wrote. Police obtained surveillance video of the area and were able to get the van’s license plate number. It came back as being owned by Dunlap.

Cristy went to Dunlap’s home Friday to execute a search warrant. Dunlap was home, but told the detective he would not make any statement and was contacting an attorney. During the search, Dunlap left his home on foot and police issued an alert to “be on the lookout,” as he was considered a danger. He was taken into custody a few hours later.

Cristy writes that Dunlap recently lost his job as a relator and has been suffering depression and suicidal thoughts in the past year, according to comments made by Dunlap’s wife.

Dunlap is charged with 11 felony counts of criminal mischief, as each car he allegedly damaged is estimated to need $1,000 in repairs. Each count carries a three-and-a-half to seven-year prison sentence if convicted. Given that he is charged with felonies, Dunlap’s case will be brought to a grand jury for possible indictments. Grand jury proceedings are secret, though there is typically at least one session a month in superior courts.

Dunlap is currently being held in the Merrimack County Jail’s medical unit due to mental health concerns.

A 37-year-old Concord realtor who espoused anti-Trump sentiments online is being held for allegedly keying dozens of cars during the recent state GOP convention as police found a disturbing cache of guns, zip ties, and suicide notes in his apartment.

Lawrence Anthony Dunlap of South Spring Street was arrested and charged Friday with 11 felonies for the incident that took place earlier this month.

The investigation into Dunlap’s connection to the vandalism became intense Friday when Concord Police issued a “be on the lookout” alert for Dunlap over concerns for his safety and the safety of police who might encounter him, according to reporting by Tony Schinella at the Concord Patch.

Dunlap was reportedly seen leaving his home on foot Friday morning. Police report finding guns, a manifesto, suicide notes, and a bag containing zip ties, masks, and gloves.

Dunlap’s social media profiles were largely scrubbed Friday. But some remaining posts indicate an antipathy for former President Donald Trump and Trump’s supporters. In a rambling Facebook post accusing Trump voters of racism and law enforcement of denying the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Dunlap called Trump a dictator before oddly calling for unity.

“Y’all (Trump supporters) lost your s–t when [Obama] tried to fix healthcare. Never mind the sheer f—ery Trump has pulled for the last for [sic] years,” Dunlap posted.

“Then to tell me a dictatorship by Trump is better than the democracy we know. Kinda say [sic] it all now doesn’t it,” Dunlap added. “As long as we elect people who chose to divide [sic] over unify we will never get anything done.”

Dunlap is registered as an unaffiliated voter. He is accused of riding a skateboard around the cars parked for the state GOP convention and keying them as the car owners were inside.

Di Lothrop, a Nashua Republican whose car was damaged during the GOP convention held at Concord High School, is heartened by news of an arrest, but unnerved by Dunlap’s alleged motives.

“Now that is sick,” Lothrop said.

As a Trump campaign volunteer during the primary, Lothrop met a lot of Nashua residents who were not fans of the former president when she knocked on doors. Most were polite, but Lothrop did have an unsettling encounter with one anti-Trump Nashua resident making threats.

“He told me I had three seconds to get off his property or he would drop me,” said Lothrop, who is in her 70s.

The man followed up that threat by getting close to Lothrop and counting, she said.

“It is what it is. People like that are sick. There’s nothing you can really do or say to them to change their minds,” Lothrop said.

“I’m appreciative of the professionalism displayed by the Concord Police,” said state GOP Chairman Chris Ager.

Dunlap is being held on preventative detention and is due in Merrimack Superior Court on Monday. He’s charged with 11 felony counts of criminal mischief.