The body of Arkansas County Northern District Judge Jeremiah T. Bueker was recovered early Sunday from the bottom of Mud Lake in Jefferson County, sheriff’s officials said in a statement. He was 48. The judge was spending time with several relatives and friends during a “recreational” weekend trip when he ventured out on his own, authorities said. “After time passed and no one had seen or heard from Booker, concern began to arise,” sheriff’s officials said Sunday. Booker was last seen near Mud Lake, which empties into the Arkansas River north of Reydell. The judge’s family then called 911 after being unable to find him Saturday. Jefferson County deputies began extensive ground and water searches for Booker, which were later suspended due to low visibility. Mud Lake then cleared just after sunrise, and a sonar spotted Judge’s body at the bottom, authorities said. Booker’s death is being investigated as accidental drowning, but his body has been sent to the state medical examiner for an autopsy, authorities said. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office “Deputies used tow/rescue body recovery hooks from the underground body to recover Booker’s body,” authorities said. “After the body was recovered, deputies and investigators with the assistance of the family positively identified the body as Booker.” Booker’s death is being investigated as accidental drowning, but his body has been sent to the state medical examiner for an autopsy, authorities said. Sheriff Lafayette Woods said he hopes the recovery of Booker’s body will provide “some sense of closure” to his family and loved ones. “The scourge of emotions they must be feeling right now is devastating,” Woods said. Stuttgart Mayor Norma Strabala, meanwhile, said she was “shocked and devastated” by Bueker’s sudden death. “Jeremy was an important and special person in this community, serving as a good friend, a tough lawyer and as a judge of the Northern District Court of Arkansas for nearly a decade,” Strabala wrote on Facebook. “I am praying for Sunny, his family and this community as we mourn this tragic loss.” Booker, who was elected district judge in 2012, was an “avid outdoorsman” and a “very proud father,” a Stuttgart city official told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He was last seen alive late Saturday, authorities told the agency. “His family had a weekend at a cabin on the family property,” said Maj. Gary McClain of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. “They were calling [utility vehicles] and went back to the cabin. Looks like he decided to go for a swim after maybe getting dusty and lost. No one was with him. he was alone.” Relatives said Booker loved to swim, so the spontaneous plunge would not have been unusual for him, McClain added.
