Anger is growing in an Oklahoma community over a “sketchy as hell” plea deal allowing an 18-year-old man convicted of multiple charges of rape and assault dating to when he was 17 to perform community service and commit to counseling.
Jesse Butler, of Stillwater, originally faced 78 years in prison after being charged as an adult over 10 allegations including rape, battery by strangulation, rape by instrumentation and domestic assault involving two women.
But a judge in Payne county, Susan C Worthington, granted Butler the status of youthful offender. He pleaded no contest to the charges and agreed to a deal with prosecutors that will see him avoid prison time and serve 150 hours of community service, according to the Oklahoma news channel KJRH.
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The court in advance approved the arrangement, a rehabilitation plan authorized by Oklahoma’s Youthful Offender Act for juveniles ages 13 to 17 who are charged with serious crimes.
The deal has outraged residents and politicians, who say it is an insult to the victims. They, like Butler, were students at Stillwater high school when he assaulted them and were forced to share a classroom with him for several weeks after he was charged earlier this year.
“To go from more than 75 years in prison to 100-something hours of community service? That’s sketchy as hell,” the Republican state representative Justin Humphrey told the Oklahoman.
“This is upsetting to everyone who’s heard it.”
Dozens of protesters gathered at the courthouse on Wednesday to denounce the deal and call for the resignation of Laura Thomas, the Payne county district attorney.
Thomas is an alumna of Oklahoma State University, where Butler’s father worked as a director of operations for the college’s football program. Worthington is also an Oklahoma State University alumna.
“Almost losing your life, having a video being recorded of you almost losing your life, and your assaulter being able to just walk with no punishment, a slap on the wrist and 150 hours of community service. That’s just ridiculous,” Adelyn Smith, one of the protesters, told KJRH.
Another, Nancy Janai Irving, said: “None of these girls are getting the justice they deserve. They’ve been silenced, and it’s not OK for him to walk around and not even be remorseful for what he’s done.”
According to prosecutors, Butler was the boyfriend of one of the victims, whose mother said in victim impact statements reported by KOCO that her daughter became withdrawn through the course of their relationship.
“As a mom, I never thought I’d have to watch my daughter fight this kind of battle – one where she had to prove she was the victim, over and over again, while the system made excuse after excuse for the person who hurt her,” she said.
“My daughter has handled this with more strength than most adults could. She still shows up to school, still cheers, still smiles, even when people who should have protected her didn’t. Watching her stay brave while adults failed her has been both inspiring and heartbreaking.”
The girl told the court that Butler strangled her and filmed himself raping her after she fell unconscious. She said he then threatened to kill her or her family if she spoke about it.
“What happened to me wasn’t only abuse or strangulation – it was nearly attempted murder,” she said. “Thirty more seconds and this would not be my statement. It would be my mother’s because I would not have survived. I survived what he did, but I will never be the same.”
Lawyers for Butler did not respond to requests from multiple media outlets for comment.
Thomas’s office also did not respond but sent a statement to the Oklahoman stating that Butler had the right to seek reclassification to juvenile status “in accordance with Oklahoma law”.
Butler, it said, must “complete his rehabilitation plan successfully, including an aggressive schedule of therapy with a specialist in sex offender treatment, and should he fail, he faces reclassification as an adult and a sentence of 10 years in prison”.
He is also subject to a curfew, is banned from social media, and must attend daily check-ins and weekly counseling sessions until his 19th birthday, Thomas’s office said.
• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
