George Duarte, a 32-year-old ex-felon was arrested at 5:59 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at Panorama and Palo Verde Drives in Desert Shores, in connection with a Salton Sea-area burglary involving several rifles, three off-road vehicles and a safe containing thousands of rounds of ammunition, say Riverside County sheriff's officials.

Duarte was booked for investigation of being a felon in possession of a loaded gun, possession of a stolen gun, possessing stolen property, and misdemeanor resisting arrest with bail set at $5,000.

The break-in happened on Sunday, Aug. 2, at Sea View Ranch on Johnson Street in the Riverside County town of Oasis. Deputies soon tracked some of the stolen property to Desert Shores where they found the safe abandoned in the desert, still containing hundreds of rounds of ammunition. According to the statement, Deputies spotted Duarte leaving a house along Newport Avenue carrying what appeared to be a rifle. He was arrested after a brief chase.

"A loaded AK47 was recovered in a nearby yard," Castro wrote. "The weapon ... was stolen during the burglary. During a search of Duarte's residence, deputies recovered additional rounds of ammunition and one of the stolen vehicles, a Honda ATV."