An Oklahoma teenager, charged with the rape and assault of two high school girlfriends, has managed to avoid prison time, a decision that has deeply upset the victims’ families.
Jesse Mack Butler, an 18-year-old from Stillwater, entered a no contest plea to several felony charges last week, following an agreement with the district attorney’s office, reported by the New York Post. This plea arrangement was facilitated by a legal shift from adult court to that of a youthful offender, a move approved by Special Judge Susan Worthington in July.
Back in March, when Butler was 17, he was confronted with a series of serious felony charges. These included attempted rape, rape by instrumentation, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy, as well as domestic assault and battery by strangulation and other forms of domestic assault and battery.
As a part of the agreement, Butler will be placed under the supervision of the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs, where he will follow a strict rehabilitation plan. This plan mandates daily check-ins, adherence to a curfew, completion of community service, a ban on using social media, and attendance at weekly counseling sessions.
Should Butler successfully adhere to these stipulations, his criminal record will be expunged, and he will not be required to register as a sex offender, as reported by NewsNation. This outcome has sparked significant outrage, particularly among those closely connected to the victims.
If he complies with the plan, his criminal record will disappear, and he will not have to register as a sex offender, NewsNation reports.
According to an affidavit, Butler is accused of repeatedly raping his 16-year-old girlfriend in 2024. During one incident, he strangled her when she refused to have sex with him, police said.
The strangulation caused damage to the victim’s neck, which subsequently required surgery. A doctor later told her she’s lucky to have survived the ordeal.
“We were completely against the youthful offender status from the beginning,” the victim’s mother said.
In another affidavit, Butler is accused of being violent toward another girlfriend, also 16, in 2024. She said she sometimes went along with what he wanted so that he would not hurt her.
In one instance, Butler strangled her until she passed out, while recording the incident. Police later found the recording on his phone.
Both girls, along with Butler, were students at Stillwater High School.
“I was sobbing, I was begging her not to do this deal,” the other victim’s mother said.
“I told the DA, I don’t want him to get away with this, because I cannot know that another mother is going to have to go through what I went through,” she told DailyMail.
“By giving him youthful offender status, all the prison time went away.”
The mothers told Oklahoma Watch that both victims were willing to testify in the case, despite a statement from the district attorney’s office, stating that the case resolution spared them from testimony.
“The ultimate resolution of the case, reached without either victim having to testify or face cross-examination in a contested proceeding, included the accused agreeing not to challenge any of the allegations,” Payne County District Attorney Laura Thomas said in a statement.
Butler’s father, Mack Butler, served as the Director of Football Operations at Oklahoma State University from 2001 to 2004.
Butler has a court hearing scheduled for December, to ensure he is following the rehabilitation requirements.
If you or someone anyone has been sexually assaulted, resources are available at the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by phone at 1-800-656-4673.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
