Deputies: Ferguson admitted to sexual assault of juvenile

A Eureka man faces multiple charges in Lincoln County District Court after allegedly admitting to sexually assaulting a minor over the course of several years.

William James Ferguson, 48, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of sexual intercourse without consent and a single count of sexual assault May 4. The charges carry a maximum punishment of up to 100 years imprisonment with at least four years behind bars. Each charge carries a maximum $50,000 fine.

According to court documents, Ferguson came to the attention of authorities after he was caught allegedly using a ladder to peer through a window at the victim in the bathroom.

Detective Duane Rhodes of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, writing in an affidavit, described meeting with Ferguson on Feb. 27 as part of the investigation. During their conversation, he reported that Ferguson admitted to sneaking into the victim’s bedroom and touching the minor’s genitalia several times.

He also admitted to watching the same victim undress and shower through the window, Rhodes wrote.

That same day, Rhodes interviewed the victim. The minor told authorities Ferguson had begun the unwanted touching and fondling when the victim was nine years old. According to the victim, Ferguson would slip into the bedroom at night to perform the acts.

Authorities believe the incidents began about 2014 and continued to the present, court documents said.

An omnibus hearing for Ferguson is set in Lincoln County District Court for June 15 with a pretrial conference scheduled for Aug. 10. Were the case to go to trial, it would begin Sept. 15.