A 38-year-old Barstow woman is facing multiple charges after police say she threatened to kill her ex-boyfriend and then tried to strike him with her vehicle during an argument Sunday morning. Jerricka Dureso was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, and driving under the influence following the incident at approximately 11:03 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, on the 700 block of Montara Road.
According to Victor Valley News Group, Barstow police officers responded to a disturbance stemming from a reported vehicle-pedestrian incident. Officers found that Dureso and her ex-boyfriend had been arguing before she allegedly threatened to kill him and then attempted to strike him with her vehicle. The ex-boyfriend avoided being hit and fled the area on foot, the outlet reports.
Police said Dureso displayed objective signs and symptoms of alcohol influence at the scene, per the same account. Investigators also located nearby surveillance video that captured the incident, which is expected to serve as key evidence as the case moves forward, according to the report.
Booking Details and Statutory Charges
Dureso was booked at the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, a Type II facility operated by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department that houses more than 2,100 inmates.
Dureso was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and driving under the influence.
Assault with a deadly weapon under Penal Code 245(a)(1) is what's known as a wobbler offense, meaning prosecutors can file it as a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail, or as a felony carrying two, three, or four years in state prison and fines up to $10,000, according to the Shouse Law Group.
Criminal Threats Charge Carries Strike Exposure
The criminal threats charge under Penal Code 422 also carries significant weight. That statute defines criminal threats as willfully threatening death or great bodily injury in a way that instills sustained fear in a victim, and it carries felony penalties of 16 months to three years in state prison, counting as a strike under California's Three Strikes law, according to Eisner Gorin LLP. Criminal threat allegations are frequently filed alongside domestic disputes or intimate partner confrontations, the firm notes.
Meanwhile, a first-time DUI charge under Vehicle Code 23152(a) is typically prosecuted as a misdemeanor, carrying mandatory fines, license suspension, mandatory alcohol education classes, and up to six months in county jail, per Cron Israels and Stark. That statute allows prosecution based on physical or mental impairment, regardless of whether a chemical test establishes a blood alcohol concentration above 0.08%.
Domestic Violence Context
The alleged vehicle attack involved an intimate-partner dispute and a vehicle allegedly used as a weapon.
Locally, San Bernardino County receives more than 8,500 domestic violence calls for assistance annually, a rate of approximately 4.5 calls per 1,000 adult residents, according to Kidsdata.org. Local police and sheriff's agencies coordinate domestic violence cases with the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Victim Services Unit.
Department Recently Added Officers to Patrol
The Barstow Police Department has a sworn force of 40 serving a 40-square-mile area, according to the City of Barstow. Interstate 15, Interstate 40 and State Route 58 run through Barstow.
The department swore in four new officers this month, including three graduates from San Bernardino County Sheriff's Academy Class #244 and one lateral officer with more than eight years of experience. Those new hires were assigned directly to patrol duty shortly before this weekend's incident occurred.
Anyone with information about the Dureso case is asked to contact the Barstow Police Department at 760-255-5111 or Officer J. Rodriguez at [email protected]. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27469).
