Overview
- Jesse Butler, 18, pleaded no contest in August to 11 counts that included first-degree rape, attempted first-degree rape, rape by instrumentation, and assault and battery by strangulation after initially being charged as an adult.
- Judge Susan C. Worthington granted youthful-offender status under a plea arrangement that imposes 150 hours of community service, therapy, a curfew, a social media ban, and frequent check-ins, with no immediate prison term.
- Prosecutors say failure to complete the plan could see Butler reclassified as an adult and sent to prison for 10 years under the deal’s contingencies.
- Police reported finding phone video of a choking incident; one victim told the court she was strangled unconscious, filmed, and threatened, and another was reportedly choked to the point of nearly dying.
- Dozens protested at the Payne County Courthouse and a state lawmaker denounced the outcome, while some critics cited Butler’s family ties; Butler is scheduled to return to court on December 8, and claims he will avoid sex-offender registration remain unconfirmed.