September 12, 2023 - Sonora, California –– Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke announced on Monday that on September 11, 2023, Jamestown resident Joshua Caudill was sentenced to 6 years 4 months in State Prison.

The sentence comes after Mr. Caudill pled guilty in two cases.  In the first he pled guilty to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Transportation for Sale of a Controlled Substance.  He pled guilty in the second case to Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sale and Possession of a Billy.  He also acknowledged understanding a fentanyl advisement which advises that illegally selling or furnishing methamphetamine, heroin or fentanyl-laced drugs carries with it the specific risk that those drugs are potentially laced with a lethal substance and if someone were to die because of ingesting a fentanyl-laced product he provided then he could be charged with manslaughter or murder.

Mr. Caudill’s convictions arise from two incidents.  In the first, he was contacted by a sergeant from the Sonora Police Department on May 12, 2023 while behind the wheel of a running vehicle inexplicably stopped in the street which a citizen reported to law enforcement.   During that investigation, Mr. Caudill was found to be in possession of approximately 73 grams of fentanyl he possessed for the purpose of sale and he had a loaded firearm concealed on his person.  Mr. Caudill was a felon and thus legally prohibited from possessing firearms.  Mr. Caudill posted bail in that case.

Thereafter, while the first case was pending court, Mr. Caudill was contacted by a deputy from the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office who stopped Mr. Caudill for a traffic violation on July 21, 2023. During that investigation he was found to be in possession of over six and a half ounces of fentanyl that he possessed for the purpose of sale and had a baseball bat next to the drivers seat ready for easy access as a weapon, commonly referred to as a billy.  

The court granted law enforcement’s initial request to hold Mr. Caudill without bail at the time of the booking in the second case and the court granted the District Attorney’s Office filed motion to continue to hold him without bail based upon the continued public safety risk Mr. Caudill posed.   

Mr. Caudill has four prior felony convictions for transportation of a controlled substance for sale amongst his prior felony convictions.  However, under current California law, the only crime which makes Mr. Caudill’s sentence subject to a state prison commitment is the felon in possession of a firearm conviction.

These cases were prosecuted by Samantha Arnerich. 
Source: Tuolumne County District Attorney's Office