After 20 years in the courtroom as the Callaway County Prosecuting Attorney, Bob Sterner soon will learn what it's like on the other side of the bench.
Sterner's unopposed campaign as a Democratic candidate for Associate Circuit Judge, Division VII, in Callaway County came to a successful conclusion Tuesday night - he received 97.15 percent of the vote, with only 285 ballots cast for write-in candidates - and Wednesday he said he is looking forward to the next phase of his career.
"It is going to be quite a bit different from what I've been doing, and that's exciting," Sterner said. "I don't even know for sure what my assignments will be."
He said running for departing Judge Cary Augustine's seat was an easy decision.
"It was just a good time," Sterner said. "I'd been prosecuting attorney for 20 years, so it seemed like a natural step."
He said that history as a prosecuting attorney will help him become a good judge.
"The primary responsibility of a prosecuting attorney is to see justice is accomplished, and that's pretty close to what a judge does," Sterner said. "The in-court job of a judge is knowing the rules of evidence.
"I think the training as prosecuting attorney is pretty good training to be a judge."
Having spent two decades as Callaway's prosecuting attorney, he said he was honored to be entrusted with his newly-elected position.
"I truly appreciate having had the opportunity to be the Callaway County Prosecuting Attorney for the past 20 years, and I am heartened that I was allowed to move from that to judge," Sterner said.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Chris Wilson, who received 64.08 percent of the vote Tuesday night, will be taking over as prosecuting attorney