A Twentynine Palms man was arrested Tuesday (March 22) accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm and controlled substance. According to a Sheriff’s press release, on March 22, deputies contacted Austen Burke, 24, in a dirt lot near the intersection of Highway 62 and Cholla Avenue in Twentynine Palms. Burke was reportedly seen preparing to urinate on the wall of a business and was detained. During the contact, Burke allegedly was found to be in possession of a loaded 9mm handgun, drugs, and drug paraphernalia. Burke is a convicted felon and was on supervised release pursuant to California Assembly Bill 109 (AB109).
AB109 was a prison realignment act passed in 2011 that allowed persons convicted of certain felonies to be supervised by the county jails and county probation department as opposed to serving time in state prison.
Following the investigation, Austen Burke was arrested for suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and controlled substance and booked into the West Valley Detention Center where he is being held without bail.
