The Plumas County District Attorney’s Office reports that, on Oct. 8, a Plumas County jury convicted Caleb Lee Duerr, 40, of Johnsville, of felony criminal threats, felony domestic violence with great bodily injury, misdemeanor false imprisonment and felony escape by force.
The charges against Duerr stemmed from two separate incidents.
He was alleged to have engaged in a violent attack on his wife from the evening hours of Dec. 18, 2023, to the early morning hours of Dec. 19, 2023. He repeatedly choked her, threw and pinned her to the ground and threatened her life, according to the charges — often while she was holding their year-old child. The victim suffered a concussion as a result of the attack as well as injuries “literally from her head to her toes,” according to the Plumas County District Attorney’s Office.
The victim was able to flee from Duerr and reach a neighbor’s house, where law enforcement was called. Deputies with the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office were subsequently able to arrest Duerr without incident.
Nine months later, on Sept. 27, 2024, Duerr escaped from the former Plumas County jail, which is no longer in use. He used different available instruments to damage and create holes in two metal fences. Various Plumas County agencies and individuals involved in the case, including schools in relevant areas, were immediately notified.
Despite an overwhelming response by the sheriff’s office, Duerr was not immediately apprehended. Deputies from Sierra, Butte and Yuba counties, the California Highway Patrol and the U. S. Forest Service assisted the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office in the search for Duerr. CHP and Washoe County, Nevada, air operations were also involved. The FBI also assisted in the search and investigation.
While at large, Duerr sent a number of threatening emails directed at certain members of Plumas County’s law enforcement and legal community, said the DA’s office.
On Oct. 17, 2024, acting on a tip from an observant citizen, the Plumas County Sheriff’s special weapons and tactics team and investigations unit surveilled Duerr’s Johnsville residence, having received information Duerr may have returned to his home. The residence had previously been searched and cleared numerous times.
During the surveillance, officials confirmed Duerr’s presence. Given his violent, threatening and erratic behavior, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office summoned additional resources. Duerr was arrested without incident with the assistance of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, drone team, K-9 unit and hostage negotiation team; the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit; USFS law enforcement; the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office K-9, SWAT and drone teams; and the FBI’s Reno field office. Following Duerr’s arrest, a search warrant was executed on his property where a number of rifles were found hidden in a storage unit.
The Plumas County District Attorney’s Office reports it is currently reviewing crime reports for additional charges against Duerr involving recent death threats against law enforcement officers, assault on a correctional officer and possession of a deadly or dangerous weapon — a shank — while in jail.
During the four-day jury trial, 10 witnesses testified and over 30 exhibits were considered by the jury. Plumas County District Attorney David Hollister prosecuted the case. Redding attorney Timothy Prentiss represented Duerr, the seventh attorney to do so. Judge Scott Millington, visiting from Los Angeles, presided over the trial, the fourth judge to do so.
Duerr is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 3.
Hollister offered his appreciation to the jury, responding officers, investigating and searching officers, assisting agencies and all of those in the DA’s office, sheriff’s office and victim/witness unit for their efforts in this successful verdict. Hollister added he was especially grateful for the courage and perseverance of the victim of the domestic violence charges.
