COBB, Calif. – Deputies arrested a Clearlake Oaks woman on Tuesday in connection to the burglary of the home of a Cobb family that has been hit twice in a week.
Yvette Trapp, 66, was arrested for burglary, possession of stolen property and conspiracy, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.
Trapp was taken into custody within a few hours of the latest burglary to the home thanks to quick action by homeowners Don and Melissa Najd, who encountered Trapp and another woman driving off their property, photographing the vehicle. Those pictures were later circulated on social media and given to sheriff's deputies, officials said.
Brooks said that at approximately 7:40 p.m. Tuesday deputies responded to a reported residential burglary in the 9000 block of Venturi Drive in Cobb after the Najds interrupted the burglary.
When the deputies arrived on scene Brooks said they contacted the family, who had been able to obtain the license plate number of the vehicle as it left the residence.
They also were able to take photographs of the vehicle with a cell phone and told deputies that the vehicle – a white Dodge SUV – was occupied by two female subjects, Brooks said.
Brooks said the Najds told deputies that the exterior of their home was partially damaged in the Valley fire and they are currently staying at another location.
Melissa Najd told Lake County News that the home's contents also had suffered some smoke damage.
According to the report, the family found the home's exterior door had been forced open, every room was rummaged through and the garage door also was kicked open, with several large items – including a hot tub – also missing.
Najd said her home – which had been left alone for months – was first burglarized on March 24, when computer and music items were taken. When they went to the home on Tuesday, it had been completely emptied out – even all the furniture was gone, she said.
“I'm thinking a lot happened over the weekend,” she said.
She added, “My house is completely thrashed on the inside, they must have either had a whole day to clear it all or done several loads.”
Brooks said the deputies reviewed the pictures taken by the Najds of the suspicious vehicle leaving the property and they were able to see the license plate of the vehicle as well as damage to the front bumper. They also were able to see the two female subjects inside the vehicle.
Deputies conducted a search of the area and located the vehicle on Highway 175 in Cobb. They conducted an enforcement stop and contacted Trapp, who at that point was the only occupant of the vehicle and is its registered owner, Brooks said.
He said Trapp told the deputies that she had gone to the residence with a friend to take property from the home. She claimed she had obtained information that the house was in foreclosure and that a real estate agent had told a friend of hers that all of the property inside the residence needed to be cleared out. She told the deputies that all of the property she had taken from the residence was still in her vehicle.
Brooks said she took a variety of items. They included groceries, toys and even, Najd added, toilet bowl cleaner and items from their kitchen, including cake decorating supplies.
Najd added that the home is definitely not in foreclosure.
Brooks said the deputies searched the vehicle and retrieved several items which were stolen from the residence.
Trapp, an in-home care worker, subsequently was arrested and transported to the Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.
Brooks said two other individuals – a male and a female – who have not been arrested are still under investigation in connection to the burglary.
Najd said Trapp was the passenger of the vehicle when they confronted it coming out of their driveway. A woman with long gray and brown curly hair was the driver.
Brooks said the investigation is ongoing as deputies attempt to locate additional property taken from the residence.
Trapp's bail was set at $50,000 and she was due to appear in court on Thursday. Jail records indicated she posted the required percentage of bail and was released.
Najd said that on Thursday afternoon she received a photo that someone had taken of a pile of items on the side of the road in Cobb. From the picture she could see a lot of items that looked like they had been taken from her home.
A few hours later she and her husband met with a deputy at the dump site, with the deputy taking fingerprints, she said.
By that point, she said three-quarters of the items that had been pictured in the photograph had been taken. “People must have helped themselves since it was all left out on the side of the road.”
There were a few bright spots, however, including the fact that in the remaining items they found her husband's computer.
They believed that the dumped items included things taken from the two burglaries, as only her husband's office items had been taken in the initial one, and both items from his office as well as other kitchen and house belongings were dumped.
Later, while they were still at the dump site, she said people stopped by to say they had taken items because they thought they had been dumped.
“They returned Donny's expensive bicycle and a couple other furniture things. So that was great!” she said.
Najd is among many Cobb and Middletown community members who have reported issues with theft and trespassing in the wake of the fire.
The situation prompted a meeting early in March to organize Neighborhood Watch groups, as the sheriff's office has reported being seriously understaffed, as Lake County News has reported.
Najd said she is reaching out to local nonprofits that are raising funds for fire recovery to ask them to consider helping cover the costs of hiring private security to patrol the Cobb area.
“People are getting their construction stuff stolen and people are worried about becoming the next victims. If people are scared of that then they won't rebuild. I think the sheriff's department is doing a good job but it's not enough,” she said.
She said she's received messages from other community members who are catching people on their properties. In one case, a woman who called law enforcement was confronted by a male on her land who began yelling at her.
Once her house is fixed, Najd is questioning if she and her husband, their three small children and two dogs are going to want to live in a place where there are no other homes.
She said she wants her neighbors to rebuild, and she's concerned about the crime in the fire area discouraging them from doing so.
The timing, she said, is critical. “This is when people are going to start rebuilding.”
If anyone picked up any belongings on the road that are identified in the picture above, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact the sheriff's office at 707-262-4200. Anyone with information about the case also is asked to contact the sheriff's office.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.