33-year-old Thomas Allen Owens of Watts Street in Morganton was arrested Sunday (September 3) by Morganton Public Safety Officers. He’s charged with felony possession of schedule II controlled substance and misdemeanor failure to appear on a count of failure to comply.

Sunday, shortly before 11 p.m, a Public Safety Officer conducted a vehicle stop on a 2010 Volkswagen due to the fact that it was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes on South Sterling Street. During the traffic stop, the officer learned that the driver, Thomas Owens, had outstanding orders for arrest. The drug charge is on a warrant from March, 2022 and the failure to appear count stems from a December, 2021 warrant.

Thomas Allen Owens has multiple convictions listed on the North Carolina Department Of Adult Correction Offender Public Information website. He’s been convicted of various charges in Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba Counties dating back to 2006. A majority of the charges are felonies. His last conviction was in September, 2017 for felony possession of schedule II controlled substance in Burke County.

Following Sunday’s arrest, Owens was incarcerated in the Burke County Jail under $11,000 secured bond. He remained in jail as of earlier today (September 6). A Superior Court appearance is scheduled for October 2.