Caleb Duerr, an inmate considered violent and dangerous, escaped Friday, Sept. 27, from the Plumas County jail, triggering a multiagency search still ongoing late on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Duerr, 39, was participating in a scheduled recreation period Friday morning when he managed to breach the chainlink fence surrounding the jail’s recreational area, allowing him to flee the facility, said Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns.
Duerr is a white male, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 165 pounds. He was wearing dark blue jail-issued clothing at the time of his escape. He was last seen walking south on County Road A-23 from State Route 70 near Beckwourth in Sierra Valley, according to Chandler Peay, public information officer with the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office.
Peay said Duerr had been seen Friday morning near the O’Reilly Auto Parts store in East Quincy, which is close to the jail.
The escape forced Quincy-area schools to implement lockdown procedures after the sheriff’s office notified them of the escape. Students at Quincy Junior-Senior High School were required to remain in their first-period classes for an extended time. Plumas Charter School was also locked down, although there were only about 10 students on campus at the time. Most of them were children of staff members, according to Taletha Washburn, charter school director.
A California Highway Patrol unit was sent to keep watch at the charter school site, she said. Once notified by Sheriff Patrol Commander Carson Wingfield that the escaped inmate had been sighted in the eastern end of the county, it was safe to remove the shelter-in-place precautions for the Quincy school sites, Washburn said.
The sighting of Duerr walking south on County Road A-23 from State Route 70 apparently indicated that an “unknowing citizen” had given him a ride to eastern Plumas County, Peay said. In addition to the CHP, the multiagency search effort has involved the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Division, game wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Sierra County authorities. A request has been made to the state Office of Emergency Services to provide canine search capability, and Washoe County, Nevada, authorities were expected to help, Peay told The Plumas Sun.
Duerr had been held at the Plumas County jail for several months on a range of charges, including felony domestic violence with great bodily injury, criminal threats and false imprisonment, Peay said.
Although Plumas County has constructed a new correctional facility, Deurr escaped from the old jail facility, not the new one. The sheriff’s office has taken possession of the new facility but it does not house inmates at this time, Johns said.
Anyone noticing any suspicious activity or who has any potentially useful information should contact the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office at 530-283-6300. Because Duerr is considered violent and dangerous, any sightings should be reported by calling 911.
