An Idaho man accused of raping a woman in Oakley more than two decades ago will be held for trial following a judge’s decision at a preliminary hearing earlier this week, authorities said.
Contra Costa County prosecutors have charged Eric Ferguson, 49, with forcible rape in the April 2, 2002, attack near Laurel Road in Oakley, according to court documents. Two Oakley Police detectives with help from U.S. Marshals and police in Idaho arrested Ferguson in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on May 28, 2024.
Ferguson remained in custody Thursday at the West County Facility in Richmond in lieu of $5 million bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned April 2 at Superior Court in Pittsburg.
The preliminary hearing was to determine whether authorities had enough evidence to continue to the case against Ferguson. According to court documents, the forcible rape charge carries with it two enhancements that the victim was under 18 years old and that Ferguson kidnapped the victim, increased her risk of harm by moving her and used a deadly weapon while in the process of it.
According to Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard, Ferguson attacked while the victim walked a dog. Police said he approached her, got out of the vehicle and pointed a gun at her while ordering her into the back seat of the vehicle. Authorities said Ferguson then forced her to perform sexual acts on him.
The girl at some point escaped and went to a nearby house for help, Beard said. He added that investigators later collected DNA samples at the scene. Those DNA samples later led to the arrest, Beard said.
A 33-page motion filed by Ferguson’s lawyer, Carlos Vega, for a bail hearing attempted to prove the woman had “fabricated” the allegations of rape and that it was part of a “pattern” of other false accusations. It also falsely alleged that the Ferguson and the victim had dated.
The judge kept bail the same, and Ferguson has remained in custody ever since his arrest.