Ferguson formally charged with manslaughter; hearing Feb. 22

Tristan Ferguson of Imperial, Nebraska, will face two felony charges later this month in Chase County Court at a first-appearance hearing.

Chase County Attorney Joel Burke filed a formal complaint last week, charging him with manslaughter and  possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony related to the November shooting death of Jesse Krausnick, 19, at 126 West 12th Street in Imperial.

Ferguson’s Feb. 22 hearing before County Judge Edward Steenburg is set for 2 p.m.

On Monday, Judge Steenburg named attorney Ryan Wilcox of McCook as Ferguson’s court-appointed counsel.

Steenburg’s Feb. 6 order stated Ferguson was eligible for the court-appointed attorney due to “conflict of interest or unavailability” for appointment of a member of the Chase County Public Defender’s Office.

Ferguson’s first appearance hearing was originally set for Friday, but moved to Feb. 22 at Wilcox’s request.

If convicted of the two felony charges, Ferguson faces up to 20 years on the manslaughter charge and one to 50 years for the firearm possession charge.

Four other charges, including unlawful discharge of a firearm, misrepresenting age to purchase alcohol and procuring alcohol for a minor, which he faced at the time of his arrest last November were not included in Burke’s Feb. 1 complaint.

Burke said he can amend the charges down the road if anything new comes to his attention.

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