A Twentynine Palms man was arrested Wednesday following a foot pursuit after he was found with a large amount of drugs. According to a Sheriff’s report, deputies R. Nerenberg and J. Perez attempted to stop a bicyclist near Highway 62 and Split Rock Avenue for not having a front headlight. The man, later identified as Monte Holmes, 27, fled into the open desert and the deputies followed on foot. Holmes ran into an apartment complex in the 6400 block of Desert Queen Avenue and entered an apartment. Deputies followed and the residents directed them to a back bedroom where the door was shut. Nerenberg forced the door open and knocked Holmes to the floor. Holmes was then taken into custody without further incident. The residents told deputies they did not know Holmes and they were scared for their safety when he entered their apartment. During a search of Holmes, deputies located about 20 grams of methamphetamine and a large amount of cash. In addition, Holmes attempted to swallow the methamphetamine in an attempt to destroy the evidence. Medical staff at the hospital were able to retrieve a bag containing suspected narcotics from Holmes’ mouth. Monte Holmes was arrested for investigation of burglary and possession of narcotics for sales, booked into West Valley Detention Center with his bail set at $125,000.
