Metro sergeant retires over exposure charge

Cathy Scott

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998 | 10:24 a.m.

An 18-year veteran Metro Police sergeant has retired from the force after being charged with two gross misdemeanors following witness accounts that he allegedly exposed himself to two women while outside Las Vegas motels.

Former undercover narcotics Sgt. Scott Ferguson was to appear today before Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle for his preliminary hearing. Ferguson was criminally charged in November. Prior to the allegations, Ferguson was a supervisor in the street narcotics team. Ferguson also once worked in the vice detail.

Before his retirement, Ferguson, 40, had been suspended from the force pending a separate internal investigation by Metro.

Undersheriff Richard Winget said an internal administrative charge of conduct unbecoming was sustained by investigators. A pretermination hearing was scheduled where he was expected to be fired, but Ferguson instead retired on Jan. 12 before the hearing, Winget said.

Ferguson's personnel record at Metro will reflect that "he resigned before the process could be completed," Winget said.

One witness told police Ferguson was "nude from the waist down" and the other said he was completely naked when she saw him, police said. The alleged incidents occurred in October.

The victims, from two different Days Inn locations, told detectives the officer stood outside their motel windows and exposed himself in full view of the victims.

In one of the cases, a witness took down a license plate number as the man drove a car out of the parking lot. The plate was traced back to Ferguson's undercover car, which was assigned to him by Metro, Winget said.

At a news conference announcing the investigation, Sheriff Jerry Keller praised Ferguson as having an "exemplary record of police work."

Police also said they learned during the investigation that there reportedly had been eight to 10 similar incidents of a man exposing himself at the Days Inn motel at 5125 Swenson St., but that no reports had been made to police.