A Bend man who allegedly helped his brother flee across the country after a fatal Bend bar shooting in 2023 pleaded not guilty to hindering the prosecution Monday in Deschutes County Circuit Court.

Dahnte Nathaniel Cegers, 26, entered the plea nearly a year after his brother, Caleb Cegers, 21, of Bend, is alleged to have fatally shot Taylor Wyss, 33, of Redmond.

On Aug. 20, a bar fight broke out inside Duda’s Billiards Bar around midnight before the clash moved to the sidewalk outside, according to previous reporting from The Bulletin. Caleb Cegers, then 20, fatally shot Wyss with a handgun, and Wyss later died at St. Charles Bend, according to prosecutors.

After obtaining video footage, authorities confirmed Wyss did not participate in or instigate the fight, Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels told The Bulletin last year.

Investigators believe the fight came after Caleb Cegers and Sadie Madalyn Cole, 21, of Bend, the woman they believe he was dating, were asked to leave the bar after being “disruptive.”

Bend Police arrested Cole for assaulting a bartender and aiding Cegers as they fled the scene, according to police.

Caleb Cegars left the state with the help of his brother, police said, prompting a nationwide manhunt. They were later arrested in Cleveland, Tennessee, and extradited back to Deschutes County.

Dahnte Cegers could face up to five years in prison, according to Gunnels.

Caleb Cegers was charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted, according to Deschutes County Circuit Court charging documents and Gunnels.

Dahnte Cegers is scheduled to go to trial on Jan. 28. His brother’s trial is scheduled for Jan. 7.

Cole pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution, fourth-degree assault and disorderly conduct. She is now on probation after 10 days in jail, according to court documents.