Oklahoma teen's felony case dismissed after program

An Oklahoma teenager who pleaded no contest to multiple violent felonies against two former girlfriends is free after his case was dismissed this week upon his completion of a youthful offender rehabilitation program, a result that has drawn sharp condemnation from prosecutors and victims' families. Jesse Mack Butler, now 19, saw the case formally dismissed on August 4, 2026, after a Payne County judge ruled he had satisfied all requirements of his court-ordered supervision, which included counseling, community service, and restitution.

Butler was 17 when he was arrested and initially charged as an adult in March 2025 following allegations from two Stillwater High School students. The charges, which later totaled 11 felony counts, included attempted first-degree sexual assault, sexual battery, assault by instrumentation, forcible oral sodomy, and domestic assault and battery by strangulation. One charge was added for violating a protective order. The allegations stemmed from incidents reported to have occurred in 2024.

In August 2025, Butler entered a no-contest plea to all counts under an agreement that reclassified his status to a youthful offender. Oklahoma's Youthful...