Cellphone stolen at Knott’s Berry Farm leads to drug lab; 6 arrested

A quest to track down a phone that was stolen at Knott’s Berry Farm unexpectedly led sheriff’s deputies in the Inland Empire to a home with a cache of drugs and an illegal hash oil lab, authorities said Sunday.

A woman reported that her phone was stolen Saturday evening while visiting the theme park in Buena Park, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. She told deputies that she tracked down her phone to a Hesperia residence, sheriff’s officials said.

Deputies arrived at the home in the 11200 block of 4th Avenue and encountered a known parolee, Bobby Turner, who had methamphetamine and needles in his possession, sheriff’s officials said.

Around the same time, the homeowner, Stacey Shelton, confessed to deputies that she pocketed the cellphone earlier in the day while visiting the park, officials said.

After deputies also encountered a hash oil extraction lab inside the residence, they secured a warrant to search the home.

During the search, investigators found evidence confirming that the hash-oil lab was in use, officials said. Deputies also found the stolen cellphone along with marijuana, methamphetamine and additional drug paraphernalia.

Hash oil labs rely on highly flammable chemicals – often butane – to extract the concentrated form of cannabis. Such drug labs are illegal and often lead to fires and explosions.

Deputies arrested Turner, 39; Shelton, 49; Michel Shelton, 47; Michael Walker, 22; Dina Gorman, 51; and Michael Funderburg, 49. All six face various drug-related charges.

Stacey and Michael Shelton confessed to smoking marijuana with their 13-year-old child, who was removed from the home by the county’s Children and Family Services, sheriff’s officials said.

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