New Hampshire man charged with keying cars outside GOP event to stay in jail after officers find ‘manifesto-style document,’ ‘items of concern’

A New Hampshire man who was arrested and charged with keying almost a dozen cars parked outside a Republican event last month was denied bail out of concerns for his mental health, according to reports. 

Lawrence Dunlap, 37, of Concord, N.H., was arrested April 26 on 11 charges of felony criminal mischief for keying cars in the parking lot of the state’s GOP convention, some of which belonged to state lawmakers, according to court documents.

The incident occurred on April 13 outside of Concord High School, where the New Hampshire GOP convention was held, court documents show. Police used witness testimony and surveillance video footage from the high school to identify Dunlap as a suspect, an affidavit from the responding police officer states. 

Officers searched Dunlap’s residence on April 26, finding a “manifesto-style document” and a bag containing “items of concern.” 

The manifesto, which is also identified as a suicide note in the affidavit, directly names former President Donald Trump. 

Detectives also found a canvas tote bag with items including latex gloves, flex cuffs, a billy club, a medieval mace, dark clothes, and face masks, according to the affidavit. 

Dunlap’s wife told detectives that Dunlap had been suffering from depression and “suicidal ideations” and had been prescribed medication, according to documents. 

After the search of Dunlap’s house, officers decided to arrest Dunlap without a warrant.

Dunlap was arraigned April 29, where prosecutors asked the judge to hold him in preventive detention due to the items found during the search of his residence and the fact that he owns multiple firearms, The Boston Globe reported. 

Dunlap’s defense attorney said that were no allegations that he had threatened anyone or that the items found in the tote bag were related to the charges in the case, the Globe reported. 

The judge said she was concerned about Dunlap’s risk to himself and the community and denied bail, scheduling a probable cause hearing for May 9.