An Oklahoma community is expressing outrage after a teenager from a well-known local family avoided a lengthy prison sentence despite multiple convictions for rape and assault, according to local reports.
Eighteen-year-old Jesse Butler was arrested on March 4 following reports of assault involving two high-school students in Stillwater, Oklahoma, according to an official report.
At the time of his arrest, Butler was 17 and initially charged as an adult, court records cited by KOCO show. His status was later changed to that of a youthful offender, as reported by The Journal Record, Oklahoma Watch, and KOCO.
In August, Butler entered a no-contest plea to 11 counts, according to the official report obtained and shared online by FOX 25. The charges included first-degree rape, domestic assault and battery by strangulation, attempted first-degree rape, and rape by instrumentation.
Despite facing a potential 78-year prison sentence, the judge released Butler without jail time. Instead, he was ordered to complete community service and attend counseling, outlets including Oklahoma Watch, KJRH, and FOX 25 reported.
The unusually lenient sentence resulted from a plea agreement between the defense and prosecution, per KJRH and The Journal Record.
Families of the victims and community advocates have condemned the ruling, claiming Butler’s family connections influenced the outcome. His father previously served as director of operations for Oklahoma State University’s football program, The Journal Record reported.
The charges originated from a September 2024 investigation, launched after two Stillwater High School students came forward with allegations against Butler.
In emotional victim impact statements cited by KOCO, one survivor said:
“I’ve had to explain bruises, explain silence, explain why I started isolating from people who love me.”
She continued,
“You didn’t just strangle me with your hands — you strangled my voice, my joy, my ability to feel safe in my own body.”
The Stillwater community has since rallied behind the victims, organizing protests demanding accountability.
“I feel terrible for those young women,” said Adelyn Smith, one of about 100 demonstrators at a rally covered by KJRH. “Almost losing your life, having a video recorded of it, and your assaulter walking away with no punishment — a slap on the wrist and 150 hours of community service — that’s just ridiculous.”
The mother of one victim also criticized the justice system’s handling of the case in her statement to KOCO, saying her daughter “had to prove she was the victim, over and over again, while the system made excuse after excuse for the person who hurt her.”
“My daughter has handled this with more strength than most adults could,” she added. “Watching her stay brave while adults failed her has been both inspiring and heartbreaking.”
In response, community advocates have formed a Facebook group calling for renewed justice for Butler’s victims and systemic reform in how such cases are prosecuted.
