Midstate judge killed in wreck

Putnam County's chief magistrate judge died in a traffic accident Saturday.

Ellen Pierce, 62, died in the wreck that happened at 6:37 p.m. on Ga. 44 about 10 miles north of Eatonton, Sheriff Howard Sills said.

He said she was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado that collided with a Ford F-250 pulling a boat, driven by Douglas Nelms of Buckhead in Morgan County. Nelms did not seek treatment.

The accident remains under investigation by the sheriff's office. Sills would say only that preliminary indications from witnesses are that Pierce struck Nelms from behind and that Nelms was not at fault.

Pierce was up for re-election this year and had three opponents qualify. Sills said the Superior Court judges will appoint someone to fill out the remainder of the Pierce's term until the winner of the election takes office in January.

Her biography on her office's website states that she was raised in Atlanta and worked there as a legal secretary and paralegal. She moved to Putnam County in 1990 to work for an attorney in Eatonton and in 1993 was hired by Judge Yvonne Harrell, who was chief magistrate judge and probate judge at a time when the two offices were combined. When Harrell retired in 1996, Pierce was appointed chief magistrate judge and was later elected, then re-elected three more times.

This story was originally published April 1, 2018 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Midstate judge killed in wreck."