Man accused of bringing gun, tactical gear to Twentynine Palms schools set for arraignment Monday
JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) A man accused of repeatedly showing up at two Twentynine Palms school campuses armed and dressed in tactical gear is set to be arraigned Monday morning in Morongo Basin Superior Court in Joshua Tree, where prosecutors are expected to file formal charges.
The 29-year-old Twentynine Palms man was booked on suspicion of bringing a firearm and other weapons onto school grounds and remains in custody on $30,000 bail, jail records show. News Channel 3 is not naming him until formal charges are filed.
A photo obtained by News Channel 3 shows the man at the back of a vehicle in the pickup area of Twentynine Palms Elementary School two days before his arrest. It was taken by the parent who reported him to police, who asked not to be identified. The parent has picked up his own kids at the school for more than a decade, he told News Channel 3.
It was an early release day last Wednesday when the parent, walking out with his kids, noticed a man across the lot pulling something on over his shirt. His first thought, he said, was a jacket. In the desert. In August. Then he saw the rest: a ballistic vest, a duty belt, and what appeared to be a gun on the man's hip.
The parent said he alerted a school staff member, who told him the man had shown up dressed the same way for days and figured he was law enforcement. Not satisfied, the parent said he called the Morongo Basin Station's school resource deputy directly.
Investigators reviewed school surveillance video and identified the man, the department said. He was seen wearing a tactical-style ballistic vest, a law enforcement duty belt, a baton, pepper spray and a firearm, according to the department, which says he had worn the same equipment at both Twentynine Palms Elementary and Twentynine Palms Junior High School the day before.
Detectives obtained warrants to search the man's Twentynine Palms home and for his arrest, the department said. Before either could be served, the man returned to the junior high just after noon Thursday and tried to enter the campus while armed and in tactical gear, according to the department. Staff refused him entry, notified deputies and placed the school on lockdown. He left in a minivan.
Deputies used automated license plate reader technology to track the vehicle and arrested him a short time later. Booking records list the arrest at the Morongo Unified School District office, a block from the junior high.
In the vehicle, deputies found items the department described as consistent with impersonating a law enforcement officer, including a load-bearing vest with an attached body camera, handcuffs, a taser, a badge and a less-lethal firearm.
When deputies served the search warrant at the man's home, they found three children living there with his girlfriend, according to the department. Deputies described the home as extremely unsanitary, with dirt, debris and filth throughout and insects spread through the residence. County social workers responded, and a willful child endangerment investigation was opened.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff's Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175 or leave an anonymous tip with We-Tip at (844) 909-3006.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
