News Flash

Sonora, California –– Tuolumne County District Attorney Laura Krieg announced today that Terry Keever was denied early release from prison following a 2012 felony conviction. After a jury trial in November 2012, the defendant was found guilty of planting a fake explosive device and sentenced to 10 years in state prison. Mr. Keever became eligible for early release in 2017. The District Attorney strongly opposed early release for Mr. Keever due to the seriousness of his offense and his violent criminal history, which shows that he poses an unreasonable danger to the community. The Board of Parole Hearings denied early release and cited the District Attorney’s letter in support of its decision.

On November 28, 2011, Mr. Keever placed a bag outside of the entrance to the Tuolumne County Superior Courthouse containing a fake bomb made of a frayed computer cable that was electrical taped to three road flares. Security personnel x-rayed the bag and alerted the Sheriff’s Office. The bomb squad responded, and the courthouse had to be evacuated. Mr. Keever had been due to appear in court on an unrelated case, and he was taken into custody later that day. Three months later, Mr. Keever approached the investigating officer claiming to have information about the bomb threat, and he offered to exchange the information for a lenient sentence in his other case. Meanwhile, hair and fibers found beneath the electrical tape proved it was made by Mr. Keever. When he was confronted with the DNA match, Mr. Keever lied and claimed he was already in custody when the bomb was planted.

District Attorney Laura Krieg prosecuted the defendant and following a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty of planting a fake explosive device. He had several prior felony convictions, including multiple first and second degree burglaries, grand theft, false imprisonment, unlawful possession of a firearm, and domestic violence. At the time of the offense, Mr. Keever was released on bond in another felony case, and he was on probation in yet a third case. Throughout his lengthy and serious criminal history, Mr. Keever had been granted probation at least 9 times, and he has never successfully completed a probationary term. Given the seriousness of the offense and his violent criminal history, Mr. Keever’s conviction was deemed aggravated, and he was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison.

Beginning in 2015, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) initiated the Non-Violent Second Striker program in an effort to address prison overcrowding. Through this program, inmates would be eligible for consideration for early release once they were within 1 year of serving 50% of their sentence, as long as they had not been convicted of a statutorily defined “violent” crime. In January 2017, the Board of Parole Hearings notified the District Attorney that Mr. Keever was being considered for early release. The District Attorney responded with a letter detailing the seriousness of Mr. Keever’s offense and his history of violent crimes, and arguing that Mr. Keever poses a clear and unreasonable risk to public safety in our community. Last week, the Board of Parole Hearings denied early release, citing the District Attorney’s letter in its decision.

The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Board of Parole Hearings for considering its opposition to Mr. Keever’s early release. The letter opposing release was authored by Deputy District Attorney Sarah Brooks.