JONESBORO -- A 2nd Judicial District circuit judge known by friends for his care toward youthful offenders died early Monday in his Jonesboro home.
William Lee Fergus, 66, who presided primarily in the district's juvenile court system, died of a heart attack.
"Judge Fergus was best described as a man of principals with strong values," said Mike Gibson, a former Osceola attorney and district judge who had known Fergus for decades.
"He would talk to young people in court with the hope of correcting their lives. He had honesty and integrity above reproach."
Fergus received his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and had practiced law since 1975. He served as a municipal judge in Osceola from 1991 to 2001, and he was appointed as a temporary associate justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1997 and 2000.
Fergus was appointed to his first term as a judge in the 2nd Judicial District in July 2001 by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee to fill a position created by the Arkansas Legislature. He won election to a judgeship in a different division in the district in 2002.
The 2nd Judicial District consists of Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Greene, Mississippi and Poinsett counties.
"Since he took the bench, he worked with juveniles in an effort to prevent them from entering into adult felony court," 2nd Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington said. "He will be greatly missed."
Circuit Judge Pamela Honeycutt of Jonesboro would fill in for Fergus at times when the two were district court judges before they both won their circuit judgeships.
"He was a good man," Honeycutt said. "He had a kind heart, and he was a good family man. I considered him a good friend."
Fergus' term will expire in 2020.
J.D. Gingerich, director of the state's Administrative Office of the Courts, said Gov. Asa Hutchinson will appoint someone to the position to serve until Dec. 31, 2016. An election will be held in March 2016 to fill the remainder of the term from Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2020.
Fergus served on the Arkansas Judicial Council and was responsible for memorializing judges who died.
"That's how a lot of our younger judges first met him," Gingerich said. "He'd have resolutions [for the council] that honored our judges who passed away. He took that job very seriously."
As Fergus' health declined the past few years, he continued to work, Gingerich said.
Fergus had suffered a previous heart attack, and a recent fall left him with an injured neck.
"I was amazed at his ability to keep on going," Gingerich said. "He really honored his commitment to the job."
State Desk on 07/22/2015