The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday afternoon that State Court Judge Stephen Yekel committed suicide. Deputies found his body inside an empty courtroom in the Effingham County Courthouse around 10:30 a.m. Dec. 31.
Tuesday was to be his last day on the bench. Judge Yekel lost his re-election bid in the June 18 runoff election to Judge Melissa Calhoun.
Chief Judge F. Gates Peed issued an order closing the courthouse for the rest of the day. Normal courthouse operations are set to resume Thursday.
According to news reports, Yekel sent a letter dated Dec. 6 to Gov. Brian Kemp's office in requesting to resign from his position Dec. 30, the day before his term was set to end.
In the letter, reports said Yekel wrote that he received 900 more votes than any other candidate in the May 21 primary, but not enough to avoid a runoff with Calhoun, who won the runoff by less than 400 votes.
"I feel that the office of State Court Judge of Effingham is too important to be decided by only 6 percent of the eligible voters of Effingham County," Yekel's letter reportedly stated.
In a reply dated Dec. 12, Kemp thanked Yekel for his service and wrote: "However, regardless of the low turnout for this year's runoff election cited in your letter, the people of Effingham County have spoken once again ... The results of a fair election should not be nullified on the basis of a manufactured legal technicality."
Yekel was elected state court judge in 2022 to finish out the term of then Judge Ronnie Thompson, after Thompson was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to become the Ogeechee Circuit’s fourth Superior Court judge.
Yekel, who attended Gordon Military College and Auburn University before graduating with superior grades from Atlanta Law School, served as a special agent for Georgia’s Alcohol & Tobacco Tax Unit and an investigator the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office. He was also a member of the Cobb County Fugitive Squad and a statewide Juvenile Apprehension Unit.
An Effingham County resident since 1989, Yekel operated a private law practice from 1980-2005.
While in private practice, Yekel served as legal counsel for Savannah’s mayor. He also served as judge pro tem for Chatham County Recorder’s Court (1993-2005) and Chatham County Juvenile Court (2000-2005).
State Court in Effingham County has jurisdiction over misdemeanors whose penalties range from serving one day to 12 months in jail and fines of up to $1,000.