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Nevada County District Attorney Mike Ferguson in his courthouse office. He retired Friday but will stay on for four to six weeks, he said.
After working for Nevada County for 26 years, former District Attorney Mike Ferguson is looking forward to sailing away into the sunset, just like the proverbial ending to the old movies he loves to watch.
Ferguson officially retired Dec. 29, though he isn’t out the door just yet. He said he’ll be working as a deputy district attorney until District Attorney-elect Cliff Newell can find a replacement for himself.
“It’ll probably be a month or six weeks,” Ferguson said. As far as his job duties are concerned, he said, “that’s up to the boss.”
The 60-year-old film buff is looking forward to getting outdoors again.
“I’m looking forward to spending some time on my sailboat,” he said. “I’ve also got my midweek pass for Sugar Bowl Ski Resort.”
Ferguson, a reserved, single man often seen wearing his trademark tweed dress hat, is regarded by his colleagues and employees as the most knowledgeable local source of legal expertise.
“If you have a problem or concern about the finer points of the law, Mike is always the one to go to,” said Ferguson’s protégé Cliff Newell, set to be sworn in Monday as the county’s new district attorney. “I’m going to miss having his legal intellect to draw from.”
He also said Ferguson is the renowned guru of classic movie trivia.
“He’s an old movie buff,” Newell said. “Ask him anything about movies, and he’ll know it.”
Ferguson, a University of California Hastings College of the Law graduate, began working for the county as a deputy district attorney in April 1981.
He was promoted to assistant district attorney under former Superior Court Judge John Darlington, who was Nevada County’s district attorney from 1979 to 1989.
Ferguson was elected to the district attorney’s post in June of 1990.
“I was an assistant public defender when (Ferguson) was a deputy DA,” said Assistant District Attorney Ron Wolfson, slated to retire in March 2007. “I’ve known him since 1982. He was a very good lawyer with excellent ethics. When problems arise, Mike has the ability to find the right answers. A lot of people have the answer, but he has the right answer.”
Ferguson was an assistant public defender in Yuba County before he came to Nevada County.
“I prefer being a prosecutor,” he said. “It’s nice to believe in your cases.”
He has handled several murder cases, but he said his most memorable and satisfying cases were the ones in which the little guy, or the small town DA’s office, won out over high-powered corporations or legal firms.
In 1997, the county prosecuted Pacific Gas and Electric after power lines ignited tree branches and caused the devastating 500-acre Trauner Fire in Penn Valley.
“PG&E brought in their big gun attorneys and there was a jury trial,” Ferguson said.
“We spent years on it, and there was a lot riding on it. It was a guilty verdict, and $1.9 million in damages were awarded.”
The father of three daughters and five grandchildren said he has no plans to leave Nevada City, though travel is most definitely in his future.
He will also submit an application to teach at Sierra College, perhaps in the Administration of Justice program.
ooo
To contact Staff Writer Robyn Moormeister, e-mail robynm@theunion.comor call 477-4236.
Ferguson officially retired Dec. 29, though he isn’t out the door just yet. He said he’ll be working as a deputy district attorney until District Attorney-elect Cliff Newell can find a replacement for himself.
“It’ll probably be a month or six weeks,” Ferguson said. As far as his job duties are concerned, he said, “that’s up to the boss.”
The 60-year-old film buff is looking forward to getting outdoors again.
“I’m looking forward to spending some time on my sailboat,” he said. “I’ve also got my midweek pass for Sugar Bowl Ski Resort.”
Ferguson, a reserved, single man often seen wearing his trademark tweed dress hat, is regarded by his colleagues and employees as the most knowledgeable local source of legal expertise.
“If you have a problem or concern about the finer points of the law, Mike is always the one to go to,” said Ferguson’s protégé Cliff Newell, set to be sworn in Monday as the county’s new district attorney. “I’m going to miss having his legal intellect to draw from.”
He also said Ferguson is the renowned guru of classic movie trivia.
“He’s an old movie buff,” Newell said. “Ask him anything about movies, and he’ll know it.”
Ferguson, a University of California Hastings College of the Law graduate, began working for the county as a deputy district attorney in April 1981.
He was promoted to assistant district attorney under former Superior Court Judge John Darlington, who was Nevada County’s district attorney from 1979 to 1989.
Ferguson was elected to the district attorney’s post in June of 1990.
“I was an assistant public defender when (Ferguson) was a deputy DA,” said Assistant District Attorney Ron Wolfson, slated to retire in March 2007. “I’ve known him since 1982. He was a very good lawyer with excellent ethics. When problems arise, Mike has the ability to find the right answers. A lot of people have the answer, but he has the right answer.”
Ferguson was an assistant public defender in Yuba County before he came to Nevada County.
“I prefer being a prosecutor,” he said. “It’s nice to believe in your cases.”
He has handled several murder cases, but he said his most memorable and satisfying cases were the ones in which the little guy, or the small town DA’s office, won out over high-powered corporations or legal firms.
In 1997, the county prosecuted Pacific Gas and Electric after power lines ignited tree branches and caused the devastating 500-acre Trauner Fire in Penn Valley.
“PG&E brought in their big gun attorneys and there was a jury trial,” Ferguson said.
“We spent years on it, and there was a lot riding on it. It was a guilty verdict, and $1.9 million in damages were awarded.”
The father of three daughters and five grandchildren said he has no plans to leave Nevada City, though travel is most definitely in his future.
He will also submit an application to teach at Sierra College, perhaps in the Administration of Justice program.
ooo
To contact Staff Writer Robyn Moormeister, e-mail robynm@theunion.comor call 477-4236.
