Daijiworld Media Network - Oklahoma

Oklahoma, Aug 8: The parents of an Oklahoma teenager who accused her former boyfriend of sexual assault and strangulation have criticised the resolution of the case, saying they were misled about the terms of a plea agreement that allowed him to avoid jail without admitting guilt.

The victim, identified in court documents as K.S., was in a relationship with Jesse Mack Butler, which she said ended after repeated incidents of physical and sexual abuse. Her parents now plan to file a civil lawsuit against Butler and his family, according to their attorney Rachel Bussett.

Bussett said her clients had agreed to Butler receiving youthful offender status but were led to believe by the district attorney's office that he would plead guilty and undergo treatment at a juvenile facility. Instead, Butler pleaded no contest and completed a rehabilitation programme at home.

A judge formally dismissed the case against Butler on Monday, a day before his 19th birthday, after finding that he had complied with the court-ordered programme.

"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.

Butler's attorney, Derek Chance, and his parents did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Chance told The Oklahoman that he planned to seek expungement of Butler's record.

At the Monday hearing, the defence maintained Butler's innocence and said the no-contest plea had been entered as a form of risk management.

Butler was arrested in March 2025 after two former girlfriends accused him of sexual and physical abuse. According to court documents, he was initially charged with 10 felony counts, including attempted first-degree rape, rape by instrumentation, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy and domestic assault and battery by strangulation, along with a misdemeanor count of domestic assault and battery.

He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges. The charges were later amended to include an alleged violation of a protective order after Butler was accused of approaching within six feet of one of the victims at a school function.

The victims, identified as L.S. and K.S., told investigators that the alleged abuse occurred over several months in 2024. They reported the incidents to a school resource officer in September that year, who then alerted police in Stillwater.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, L.S. said she dated Butler from January to March 2024 and alleged that he repeatedly subjected her to physical and sexual abuse.

She alleged that on February 2, 2024, Butler attempted to rape her inside a vehicle but stopped when another woman approached. She said Butler later drove to his home and allegedly attempted to rape her again before she escaped. L.S. also told investigators that Butler warned her that they would both be in trouble if she went to police.

She further alleged that Butler strangled her until she lost consciousness on February 29, 2024, after she refused to engage in sexual activity. Butler was 17 at the time, according to court documents.

After that relationship ended, Butler began dating K.S. in March 2024, with the relationship continuing until September that year.

K.S. told investigators that in April 2024, Butler allegedly attempted to touch her without consent at a drive-in restaurant. When she refused, she said he threw her to the ground, scratched her arm and laughed.

She also alleged that she engaged in sexual activity with Butler during their relationship to avoid physical aggression, telling investigators she had learned what to do and what not to do to prevent being hurt.

K.S. described two alleged strangulation incidents during the summer of 2024. In one incident, she said Butler strangled her until she lost consciousness while she was house-sitting for a friend. She alleged that he strangled her again days later and recorded the incident on his phone.

Investigators later obtained a search warrant for Butler's phone and recovered a video dated August 1, 2024, which appeared to show him strangling K.S. until she passed out, according to the court filing.

In another alleged incident, K.S. said Butler dragged her "by the neck and hair" from her home to a vehicle in her driveway.

In May 2025, Butler's attorney sought youthful offender certification, which was granted in August that year.

Under Oklahoma's youthful offender system, juveniles accused of serious crimes can be placed under a court-ordered treatment programme. If the offender successfully completes the programme, the case can ultimately be dismissed. Failure to comply can result in the case returning to adult criminal proceedings.

Ed Blau, an Oklahoma defence attorney and former prosecutor who is not connected to the case, told NBC News that there was nothing unusual about the youthful offender process used in Butler's case. He said the system places responsibility on the offender to complete all requirements imposed by the court.

However, a filing by Bussett alleged that the victims and their families were initially told by the district attorney's office that Butler would plead guilty and spend time at a juvenile facility in exchange for youthful offender status.

The families allegedly learned shortly before an August 2025 hearing that Butler would not plead guilty or serve time in a juvenile facility. Bussett said K.S.'s mother urged the court at the hearing to reject the arrangement.

Bussett criticised the way the victims were treated during the proceedings, saying the experience could discourage victims of sexual crimes from coming forward.

Jeremiah Gregory, the newly elected district attorney for Payne and Logan counties, said he plans to refer the case to federal prosecutors for review.

"I cannot undo what has already been done, but I can — and will — continue to stand as a strong voice for all victims of violent crime," Gregory said in a statement.

With Butler having completed the rehabilitation programme, the judge dismissed the case on Monday. His defence is now seeking to have his criminal record expunged, while the victims' family is preparing possible civil legal action.