ST. LOUIS – Facing growing calls to resign in a St. Louis tragedy involving a teenage girl, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is now facing a legal battle that could remove her from office.

Gardner is at risk of being removed after a tragic situation last weekend involving an out-of-town teenage girl. Bailey issued an ultimatum Wednesday for Gardner to resign by noon Thursday or face removal due to the recent incident.

Gardner, speaking publicly for the first time since the ultimatum expired Thursday, claims that while her office could have done more in wake of the tragedy, it could not force a judge to revoke bond for the man accused in the crash.

Bailey announced that his office filed a petition for a quo warranto as of 12:01 p.m. Thursday. This happened after Gardner did not resign by a noon deadline set by the Missouri AG in the ultimatum.

As of Gardner’s latest news conference, she did not announce any plans to resign from office.

For more information on the case and recent developments, click here.