A Joshua Tree man is suspected of stealing from guests at a Joshua Tree vacation rental after they left the backdoor of the house unlocked. Guests at a short term vacation rental in the 61700 block of Parkway Blvd told Sheriff’s Deputies that when they returned home from a dinner at around 10 PM, their luggage was missing from the home. They told Deputies that they left the door unlocked, and that more than $2000 in clothes and luggage – including a duffel bag, rolling “Snoopy” themed suitcase, and a backpack containing various items – were missing.
Boot prints in the backyard suggested that someone had taken the items through the open back door, and there were no signs of forced entry.
Deputies were able to match the boot prints to a suspect, Duke Early, a 46 year-old man from Joshua Tree. Early was also found to be in possession of the missing duffel bag, though the rest of the luggage remains missing.
Duke Early was arrested for suspicion of burglary, and was booked at the Morongo Basin Jail with bail set at $25,000.
