A California judge accused of murdering his wife during an argument at their home had his bail revoked after his ankle monitor detected alcohol in his system.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Malcolm Ferguson , 73, faces charges for allegedly killing his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, 65. He was taken into custody during a court hearing on Tuesday after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter found that he violated the terms of his release on the previous bail amount of $1 million by drinking alcohol. He was ordered locked up under an increased bail amount of $2 million while he awaits trial.
As Law&Crime previously reported , prosecutors informed Hunter earlier this month that Ferguson’s ankle monitor alerted an alcohol detection twice in late August — including a reading of .14%, nearly twice the legal limit for driving, according to reporting by the Orange County Register .
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Ferguson denied drinking, blaming a health condition that led to swelling of his legs. He said it had gotten bad, exacerbating the pain from the ankle monitor before Labor Day, the news outlet reported. He said he treated the swelling with cream and sanitizer, and the ankle monitor could have come up with a false positive — an excuse Hunter didn’t buy.