WILLIAMSON/FRANKLIN COs.—A strange little matter has hit home for a strange little person from Williamson County in Franklin County.
Beth Butler, 57, daughter of too-long-in-office Marion mayor Bob Butler, had a Stalking/No-Contact Order (civil Order of Protection, or, OP) filed against her in Franklin County by a local minister who claimed in the paperwork that the strange little woman was following her and causing a lot of grief in the minister’s life.
The minister is Sheryl Black, of Whittington. Black is a priest for St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in West Frankfort, as well as the spiritual care manager and chaplain at Herrin Hospital, having served in that capacity for a couple of years.
That hospital is the one where Butler has been volunteering, and where she first came to know Black.
‘No good reason’ to follow
And according to paperwork filed in Franklin County Circuit Court on May 21, their encounters were apparently more to Butler than they were to Black; the strange little mayor’s daughter apparently developed a crush of sorts on the minister, and, apparently learning that her feelings were unreciprocated, began conducting herself in a way that alarmed Black so much, she felt compelled to take out the OP against Butler.
In the petition for the OP, Black outlined what had been happening.
On or about April 1, “Beth Butler invited Linda Thomas a friend of hers that I had met just once, to come with her. She wanted to show Linda where I live, show her where she parks to watch my house, to see who comes and goes. Linda refused, but at another date Beth reported to Linda that I had had a male friend come by one night. I just learned this.
“April 18th, on or about, Beth had worked with me at the hospital. We wrapped things up around 3 p.m. I left the hospital about 4 p.m. or a bit later and went by a friend’s house, Shellianne McEvers. Apparently Beth stuck around Herrin and followed me. After I left Shellianne’s house she began to receive calls and texts that Beth saw my car there, asked if we had a good visit and what we had talked about. Since early on, Beth has been insanely jealous regarding any other friendships I have and has done her best to drive wedges in any interpersonal relations. Living in Marion I don’t think she had any good reason to stick around Herrin other than follow me.”
Calling friends
“May 18th: Beth and Shellianne were both at my church for an event Sunday morning. Shellianne asked to come by my house; we changed clothes and took about a half hour walk. Got back to my deck and Beth texted me as soon as Shelli left my driveway. She called her asking questions,” Black wrote.
“Since I heard about the first and other things I’ve learned in the last few days, I can’t eat, sleep, feel fearful and emotionally exhausted. I’ve changed the locks at my house and added door wedges for security.”
Black asked for protected places to be her Whittington home, the Herrin Hospital and Her church, St. Mark’s.
The verified petition was brought before the judge, who reset it to the next day.
However, court documents inexplicably show that the matter was dismissed on May 22, per “no basis,” according to court paperwork.
This came after an eyewitness report surfaced that Butler was physically—and very reluctantly—escorted from the hospital.
While Beth Butler is a scrawny, petite 50-something, for Black to have “added door wedges” for security shows that she at least believed she was up against something that might have been bigger than Butler.
So…city attorney…?
That might be illustrated by the fact that Butler called upon the Marion-area heavy-hitters in order to impact fallout from the OP.
Disclosure learned that Marion city attorney Steve Green was prevailed upon to call the woman named in the filing, “Linda Thomas,” on behalf of Butler for whatever reason, this on May 21.
The reports indicate that Green was attempting to convince the woman not to give out any further information about the case, as well as not to contact Butler any more.
Reports indicate that Green also called Black on behalf of Butler.
Disclosure contacted “Linda Thomas” (which is not her real name, but for purposes of this article, it will remain listed in that way), who would only confirm that Green called her and asked her not to discuss the case.
Disclosure was unable to contact Black as of press time.
Disclosure also attempted to contact Green, but was told via a phone call to his office on June 5 that he was on vacation. Emails to Green, submitted that same day, went unreturned as of press time.
The email inquiry pertained to whether Green was representing Butler, and if so, was that not a conflict of interest given that he’s on the taxpayer’s dime to represent the city in which her father is the mayor.
Disclosure is attempting to get the legalities of that situation answered.
Supporters say Beth is ‘not gay’
This would not be the first time Beth Butler has hit the headlines in a documented incident, but this might be the most embarrassing.
About a year ago, it was reported that Butler and her then-long-time-live-in, City Administrator Gail West, had gotten into a physical altercation and the police had been called.
The two were separated, and police were told not to make the report public, which of course failed.
It remains unclear whether or not Butler and West (who, despite her DNA, has been affectionately referred to for years in Marion as the mayor’s “son-in-law”) are still a couple.
Online protestors, issuing threats of physical harm as well as threats of surveillance against Disclosure staff, advised the paper in the lead-up to production of the article that “Beth Butler is not gay.”
Whether or not that’s material to the story remains under question; however, Black is indeed not gay, and only last year lost her husband of several decades…so given the totality of the circumstances, this might explain why she was apparently more than a little freaked out when the slight Beth Butler exhibited the actions she’s alleged to have done.