For the first time in almost three full decades, Clinton County will have a new coroner filling that position come January 2023. However, the incoming official will be making a smooth transition by bringing over 35 total years of experience in the field.

Lonnie Scott, 67, a Clinton County native and 1973 graduate of CCHS, earned his degree at the Kentucky Mortuary of Science in Louisville and has been a deputy coroner in two different counties for over 35 years.

Scott began as deputy coroner in Wayne County in 1984 under Coroner Marvin Hicks and 10 years later, in 1994, became deputy coroner under now retiring Steve Talbott in Clinton County, a position he still holds.

Scott was born in Albany to the late James and Sue Scott and is married to the former Joyce Nelson. His father also served as Albany Fire Department Chief for several years.

Scott worked some 17 years with the EMS, including as Emergency Services Director, a position he retired from two years ago.

He noted that since Talbott was retiring, and he (Scott) was also retired and had plenty of experience in the coroner’s office as a deputy, he decided to seek the position.

The coroner-elect provided a list of county coroner’s duties obtained from the Rowan County Coroner’s office in Morehead that spells out the duties and responsibilities of a coroner.

The coroner’s office is mandated by Kentucky law to establish the manner and cause of death, which Scott noted was its primary duty.

The cause of death is the injury, disease, or a combination of the two that caused the death of the person. The manner of death is ruled by the coroner to be “natural, suicidal, accidental, a homicide, unknown, or pending.”

The state deals with many manners of death that include: skeletal remains; homicides; suicides; occupational deaths; deaths occurring in a correctional facility; deaths within a medical facility less than 24 hours of admission; motor vehicle deaths, and, in rare and tragic circumstances, mass fatalities.

In a death scene investigation, the coroner or his deputy has the responsibility of pronouncing death, determining the time of death, taking into custody the body and property on the body, ensuring the body has not been moved from the original death scene, making a positive identification of the body, notifying of next of kin, signing the death certificate, completing required forms and records for each death investigation, and interacting with other appropriate agencies.

Scott said that every coroner would say the hardest part of the job as coroner is dealing with the death of an infant or child.

He said the most rewarding aspect of the job is helping families in their time of need, and in some instances when determining the manner of death, bringing some closure to loved ones.

The new coroner-elect also added that perhaps cases that require the most autopsies to be performed are those that involve suspected criminal activity.

Scott, who has all his training, including over 700 hours from the Division of Criminal Justice, said there would be only a few changes for the coroner’s office next year.

He said his deputy coroner would be announced later, although he does have some individuals in mind, but the largest change will be for the first time, the coroner will have his own in-house office.

Scott said thanks to the County Judge/Executive and Clinton County Fiscal Court (the coroner’s office is totally funded by county government), the Snow voting house a few miles west of Albany will be a permanent coroner’s office.

“It will be a stand alone coroner’s office,” Scott said. He thanked the fiscal court for approving the remodeling of the building, which will be made large enough for rooms and garage space needed to do the coroner’s duties.

Scott said, in quoting a letter from the Fayette County Coroner’s Office in Lexington, “The coroner’s office serves the community by providing timely death investigations in a professional and courteous manner, while ensuring the highest level of compassion, dignity and respect for the deceased and their families.”

The coroner-elect said he wanted to thank the residents of Clinton County for giving him their confidence by electing him to this important office and also his predecessor for having him as his deputy coroner all of these years.