COVINGTON, Ga. — Coroner Dorothea Bailey-Butts on Wednesday said she was rescinding the resignation she announced the day before but was later told she could not do so.

County Attorney Megan Martin reportedly sent a message to Bailey-Butts saying she could not withdraw her resignation because a Probate Judge already had accepted it, issued an order to replace her and appointed her successor.

A screen shot of the message was posted in the comments section of her Facebook page before Bailey-Butts removed it and numerous commenters reposted it.

Bailey-Butts told TV station Fox 5 she decided to withdraw the resignation after being interviewed by the station.

She then posted on her Facebook page: "PSA..... I have decided that I am not going to resign as Newton County Coroner. I am  withdrawing my resignation effectively today. I am not resigning from my position. The citizens voted me in this position.

"I apologize for the inconvenience."

County officials did not immediately respond to questions about how rescinding her resignation will affect Probate Judge Melanie Bell's appointment of former coroner Tommy Davis as interim coroner, or if Bailey-Butts can legally remain in the office now that a judge has issued the order.

Davis was appointed to serve as interim coroner “until his successor is duly elected and qualified,” county officials said in a statement Wednesday.

Bell appointed Davis to replace his successor, Bailey-Butts, who defeated him in the November election for the job.

Bailey-Butts said on Tuesday that she was resigning as Newton County coroner effective Friday, May 28, at 8 a.m.

In response, the county government stated on Wednesday, “Whereas the vacancy has arisen unexpectedly and prior to the end of Bailey-Butts’s elected term, an appointment … has been made to fill the vacancy as outlined in (state law)."

It said that Davis, who served three terms as coroner from 2008 to 2020, “has been appointed … to serve the office of interim coroner until his successor is duly elected and qualified. 

“His experience and familiarity with the position as the previous coroner allows for a seamless transition in this critical office,” the statement said.

It said a special election for the job will be scheduled between 120 and 365 days from May 28, 2021 — or between Sept. 25, 2021, and May 28, 2022.

Coroner is a law enforcement position responsible for such tasks as investigating suspicious deaths and producing death certificates. 

Bailey-Butts, a registered nurse, won the job after defeating Davis in his bid for a fourth term in November. 

She began her term on Jan. 1 and it has been marred by controversy at times, including County Manager Lloyd Kerr's request to a state coroner's training board that it remove her from office.

Complaints also came on social media about an envelope she showed county commissioners in January that she said contained damaging information that she never publicly disclosed.

She showed the envelope during a presentation she made during a public meeting in which she asked commissioners for funds for training and new office space. 

TV news stations also ran a video of her refusing to transport a body from a wreck scene — an action previous coroners reportedly typically had done.

Kerr also alleged in his request to the Georgia Coroner's Training Council that it needed to take action against her because of a series of alleged actions, including improper removal of a suicide victim — which she denied.

The state Attorney General's Office later told Training Council officials they had no authority to remove Bailey-Butts' certification because she had not gone through training courses required for the position when the actions Kerr alleged had occurred.

The coroner alleged in a posting on her Facebook page Tuesday, May 25, that “the people who are supposed to help me carry out my tasks well, are making things very difficult.”

She also said, "There were too many scandals and issues about how I do my duties which mainly comes from the fact that I am Black. 

“There were even issues with my office space, my deputies, and other stuff which weren’t a problem with the previous coroner.”

The county government responded in its statement Wednesday that said the Newton County Board of Commissioners and members of its staff “worked with Bailey-Butts to ensure the needs of the residents of Newton County were met.”

An amendment of $50,000 was made to the coroner’s budget in January for operating supplies and any additional training that was needed, the statement said.  

“Bailey-Butts was also in the process of moving to a larger office to accommodate the needs she expressed to the Board of Commissioners and the county manager.

“Newton County firmly denies any claims of lack of support to the coroner’s office and any allegations of discrimination based on gender or race.”