Missouri Sex Offender Captured In Barnsdall After 33 Years

NewsOn6.com

CLAY COUNTY, MO -- A convicted Missouri sex offender was captured in Barnsdall after 33 years on the run. Berney V. Ferguson Jr., 71, returned to Clay County, Missouri this week – 33 years after he was to appear in court for sentencing.

Ferguson was indicted in March of 1977 for incest, according to Clay County Prosecutor Daniel White. He was out on bond and did not show up for his April, 1977 sentencing date.

"My understanding is that there was a tip through Crime Stoppers in Tulsa about this guy," White said.

Ferguson was apparently using an alias to escape the legal system. White said he heard the 71-year-old was living under a bridge in Oklahoma.

Ferguson was convicted on one count of incest though the original allegations concerned two family members. Both have died – in separate car crashes – since the 1977 conviction.

"We'll start the wheels of justice spinning again," White said.  Ferguson is expected to serve out his original two-year term and may face another charge of bail jumping.