California judge charged in wife's death is arrested on suspicion of drinking alcohol while on bail

LOS ANGELES — A California judge was taken into custody Tuesday after another judge contended that he lied about drinking alcohol while out on bail on a charge of killing his wife.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson's new bail was set at $2 million. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter said if Ferguson is able to pay it, he will be barred from attending any establishment that serves alcohol.

“I hate it when people lie to me,” Hunter said.

Ferguson was previously out on $1 million bail. He is charged with the murder of his wife last year and has pleaded not guilty.

Ferguson was required to wear a GPS and alcohol monitor on his ankle as a condition of his prior bail — a condition that will remain if he makes bail again.

The monitor registered that he had been drinking alcohol in late August. Ferguson told the court he had applied hand sanitizer and other medication to try to alleviate ankle swelling, which Hunter said was a “ridiculous story.”

Ferguson was placed in handcuffs and led out of the courtroom. He was remanded to the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

His attorney, Ed Welbourn, declined to immediately comment. During the hearing, Welbourn had asked the judge to consider less restrictive options due to Ferguson’s health issues and contended his client is not a danger to society.

Prosecutor Seton Hunt declined to comment after Tuesday’s hearing.

Ferguson was arrested last year after police found his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, shot to death. Prosecutors said the couple had been arguing and Ferguson drinking when he pulled a pistol from an ankle holster and shot her in the chest.

Authorities said they later found 47 weapons, including the pistol, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at Ferguson’s home.

Ferguson became a judge after serving as a prosecutor in the Orange County district attorney’s office.