A jury found a Department of Land and Natural Resources enforcement officer guilty Wednesday of raping a teenage girl on a Hilo beach on New Year’s Day 2016.
A jury found a Department of Land and Natural Resources enforcement officer guilty Wednesday of raping a teenage girl on a Hilo beach on New Year’s Day 2016.
It took the panel of seven men and five women less than three hours to convict 40-year-old Ethan Ferguson of two counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault for the mid-day assault at Lalakea Beach Park in Keaukaha.
The trial, including jury selection and deliberation, lasted 12 days.
Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura ordered Ferguson to return for sentencing at 8 a.m. April 24. Deputy Prosecutor Haaheo Kahoohalahala asked the judge to revoke Ferguson’s $13,000 bail, describing him as a flight risk. The judge denied the motion, but said prosecutors can file a written request with evidence to back their assertion.
The girl, now 17, and her family left the courtroom quickly after the verdict was read, while Ferguson hugged his wife and mother.
Ferguson was fired for misconduct after almost 12 years as a Honolulu Police Department officer before being hired in 2013 by DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement. His mother, Jackie Ferguson-Miyamoto, is president of Hawaii Government Employees’ Association, the union representing DOCARE officers.
Ferguson was on paid administrative leave by DLNR pending the outcome of the trial.
Click here to read the expanded version of this article. West Hawaii Today subscription required.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.