Shocking police bodycam footage captured the moment that a teenager accused of sexual assault crimes was arrested, before he later avoided prison because of his age.
Jesse Butler could have spent 78 years in prison for crimes including rape, but was allowed to walk free because of his young age.
Jesse Butler was facing 78 years, but walked free
Butler was 17 when he was arrested, but faced trial as an adult and was sentenced to 78 years in prison.
However, in his home state of Oklahoma, this sentence was suspended because of a youth offender law, causing great outrage.
Stillwater Police Department officers have since released bodycam footage showing the moment that Butler was placed into handcuffs and led away.
In the footage, Butler’s mom knocked on the door of the house before the teen emerged wearing a blue t-shirt and shorts.
Upon handing his mother his phone and wallet, he was told that he was to be placed under arrest.
The officers then told Jesse that he was to be taken to jail before his mother put an arm around him for comfort.
Then, the process was explained to him, before he was cuffed and led to a police cruiser nearby.
Before getting in the car, he was subjected to a search.
Butler was accused of a string of sexual assault crimes
In March 2025, Butler was charged with the sexual assault of two girls.
He was also charged with several counts of rape, as well as domestic assault and battery counts.
A 16-year-old girl claimed to have been repeatedly raped by Butler, according to court documents seen by NewsNation.
She claimed to have undergone surgery after her assault and said that Butler strangled her.
Another girl also alleged that he strangled her, and he was also accused of two attempted rapes.
He plead ‘no contest’ after a deal was struck and eventually managed to avoid prison with 150 hours of community service, a social media ban, and a curfew.
The teen must also attend daily police check-ins and attend counselling sessions as part of a juvenile offenders programme – he will continue to do so until his 19th birthday.
His sentence sparked outrage amongst politicians and pundits.
“Does this sound like justice?” one Republican said.
