Newly released police bodycam footage shows the moment a now-convicted teen rapist who dodged a 78-year prison sentence is first busted at his Oklahoma home — as his mom whines that his arrest is an “awful experience for a child.”
Jesse Butler, now 18, later pleaded no contest to multiple felony rape and sexual battery charges for brutally assaulting two of his 16-year-old girlfriends last year — thanks to the state’s controversial youthful-offender statute.
Bodycam video obtained by The Post shows Stillwater, Oklahoma, police approach the teen’s mom outside their home before she summons her son to the front porch.
“We’re ready to tell our story too,” the woman said.
“Yeah, so we’re here, we’re obviously going to place you under arrest, there’s a warrant for your arrest,” one cop said. “We are going to take you to the jail … I do have to put you in handcuffs, so turn around for me.”
“You have to put him in handcuffs?” Butler’s mother asked.
“You shouldn’t be there very long,” the cop told the teen. “There is just a process for paperwork and stuff.”
“I’ll get you out,” his mother said, before assuring him that multiple people were working to spring him from jail.
“All right, stay silent. Rick knows about this, Candy’s on this, Dad’s on his way. We’re coming to get you, OK? Stay strong. Say your prayers.”
Butler appears to be holding back tears, but quietly allows the cops to handcuff him and put him in a patrol vehicle.
“Awful experience for a child,” his mother gripes, before turning to her troubled son. “Later, Jess, see you in a bit.”
The high school baseball star was 17 when prosecutors said he brutally attacked the teens — including one girl who was strangled so viciously she lost consciousness.
“As a mom, I never thought I’d have to watch my daughter fight this kind of battle, one where she had to prove she was the victim, over and over again, while the system made excuse after excuse for the person who hurt her,” the girl’s mother told Fox News.
Jesse Butler’s father, Mack Butler, is the former director of football operations at Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater.
The Stillwater Police Department said officers were first notified of the attacks on Sept. 12, 2024, prompting an investigation by cops and the Payne County District Attorney.
A police affidavit reviewed by Fox News details brutal acts, including a girlfriend who said she was repeatedly raped and strangled if she refused. A doctor noted she would have died in one instance if the strangulation lasted seconds longer.
At the time, Butler was a student in Stillwater Public Schools. Court records obtained by KOCO include several emotional victim impact statements describing lasting fear and trauma.
“You didn’t just strangle me with your hands — you strangled my voice, my joy, my ability to feel safe in my own body,” one victim told her rapist.
The Payne County District Attorney’s Office has said the decision to handle the case under Oklahoma’s youthful-offender law was based on Butler being 17 at the time of the alleged offenses. The office emphasized the statute “allows the court to maintain supervision until the defendant’s 19th birthday and gives him a chance for rehabilitation while still holding him accountable.”
In its statement, the DA’s office also wrote that the law “does not erase the crimes or minimize their impact.”
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Rep. Justin “JJ” Humphrey (R-Okla.) called the ruling “unacceptable” and announced plans to petition for a grand jury review.
“If that don’t set you on fire, your wood’s wet,” Humphrey told Fox News Digital. “You know what I mean? You’ve got a bad deal. That sets me on fire.”
Court documents show Butler remains bound by a sentence issued on Aug. 25, 2025, contingent on full compliance with a state-supervised rehabilitation plan.
While Butler was sentenced to a total of 78 years, the sentence is suspended under Oklahoma’s youthful offender program, meaning he will not serve prison time unless he violates the program’s conditions.
He remains under Office of Juvenile Affairs supervision until his 19th birthday, subject to counseling, therapy, more than 100 hours of community service, a curfew, no social media, daily check-ins and weekly counseling, according to documents obtained by Fox News.
If Butler fulfills the terms of the program and avoids further legal trouble, he can remain out of prison, though any violation could result in the full sentence being enforced.
His next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8 in Payne County District Court.
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