A Yucca Valley man was arrested Wednesday afternoon, accused of a burglary in Joshua Tree last week. Sheriff’s reports say Nomad Adventures in Joshua Tree reported that a man came into the store on January 31 and stole a blue backpack. The deputy who investigated the burglary saw a man with a similar backpack in a shopping center parking lot near Highway 62 and Old Woman Springs Road about 5 p.m. Wednesday. The deputy stopped the man, later identified as Justin Howe, 27, who admitted to stealing the backpack. A records check found that Howe is also a registered sex offender who had not updated his registration. Justin Howe was arrested for investigation of burglary and for not updating his sex offender registration. Howe was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail with his bail set at $25,000.
