Parents of an Oklahoma teenager say they were misled after the criminal case against their daughter’s former boyfriend was dismissed without incarceration or an admission of guilt. Jesse Mack Butler faced multiple felony counts stemming from alleged abuse of two former girlfriends in 2024 but was granted youthful-offender status and entered a no-contest plea. The judge dismissed the case after Butler completed a home-based rehabilitation plan; the families say they were told he would plead guilty and receive inpatient juvenile treatment and now plan a civil suit.
Parents Say Teen’s Ex Avoided Jail In Sexual Assault Case; They Plan Civil Suit
Demonstrators gather to protest the outcome of the Jesse Mack Butler case outside Payne County Courthouse in Stillwater, Okla., in 2025. (Nathan J. Fish / USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)
The parents of an Oklahoma teenager say they were misled after the criminal case against their daughter’s former boyfriend was dismissed without jail time or an admission of guilt. Court records identify the primary accuser as K.S., who says her relationship with Jesse Mack Butler devolved into repeated physical and sexual abuse.
What Happened
Butler was arrested in March 2025 after two former girlfriends accused him of sexual and physical abuse that they say occurred over several months in 2024. Prosecutors originally charged Butler with 10 felony counts—including attempted first-degree rape, rape by instrumentation, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy and domestic assault and battery by strangulation—plus a misdemeanor domestic assault and battery count. He initially pleaded not guilty.
Youthful Offender Status And Plea Dispute
In May 2025, Butler’s defense sought certification as a youthful offender, a juvenile pathway that can result in dismissal if the offender completes court-ordered treatment. That certification was granted in August 2025. Under that process, if an offender complies with a treatment plan the case may be handled as a juvenile matter and ultimately dismissed; failure to comply can return the case to adult court, where the charges carried a potential aggregate sentence of up to 78 years, according to court records.
But the victims’ attorney, Rachel Bussett, says the families were told by the district attorney’s office that Butler would plead guilty and receive inpatient treatment at a juvenile facility as part of the youthful-offender resolution. Court filings contend the families were led to expect a guilty plea and incarceration at a juvenile facility, but that Butler instead entered a no-contest plea and completed a rehabilitation plan at home.
“My clients always understood that there would be a guilty plea and some sort of inpatient-type treatment required, not that it was going to be no contest and home confinement,” Bussett told NBC News.
Dismissal And Reactions
A judge dismissed the case on Monday, one day before Butler’s 19th birthday, concluding he complied with the terms of the youthful-offender plan. Butler’s attorney, Derek Chance, said he plans to file a motion to expunge Butler’s record and described the no-contest plea as a form of risk management while maintaining the defendant’s denial of the allegations.
The victims’ families say they were surprised and upset by the outcome and plan to file a civil lawsuit against Butler and members of his family, Bussett said. Jeremiah Gregory, the newly elected district attorney for Payne and Logan counties, issued a statement saying he will refer the matter to federal prosecutors for review.
Allegations In The Court Records
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit cited by NBC News, one accuser, identified as L.S., described multiple incidents of physical and sexual assault from January to March 2024. She alleged an attempted rape in a vehicle on Feb. 2, 2024, and that Butler strangled her to the point of unconsciousness on Feb. 29, 2024.
The other accuser, identified as K.S., said she dated Butler from March to September 2024 and described incidents including an alleged nonconsensual sexual advance in April 2024 and two strangulation episodes in the summer of 2024. Investigators obtained a video dated Aug. 1, 2024, from Butler’s phone that the filing says appears to show an assault.
Rights, Resources And Next Steps
Bussett faulted the handling of communications with the victims and families, saying the process contributed to their distress and discourages reporting of sex crimes. The newly elected district attorney has pledged further review. Meanwhile, the families plan civil litigation, and defense counsel is pursuing record relief.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted: Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 (RAINN) or use their online chat at https://www.rainn.org/get-help for confidential support and local resources.
This article is based on court records and reporting by NBC News. Allegations described in the article have not been proven in court. The accused has denied the allegations through counsel.
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