25 signatures reached
To: Payne County District Attorney's Office
Justice for Stillwater’s Survivors: Hold Jesse Butler Fully Accountable
The Payne County District Attorney must:
1. Publicly review why youthful-offender status was granted in the Jesse Butler case despite multiple rape and assault charges, and release an explanation to the community.
2. Commit to a written policy that youthful-offender status will not be offered in any future cases involving rape, rape by instrumentation, drug-facilitated sexual assault, forcible sodomy, strangulation, or multiple victims.
3. Advocate for reform of Oklahoma’s Youthful Offender Act to close this loophole statewide.
4. Provide transparency and oversight by publishing annual data on all youthful-offender sexual-assault cases in Payne County.
5. Center survivors — require victim consultation before any plea or classification decision in violent sexual-assault cases.
These are clear, achievable actions that restore public trust and keep survivors safe. Stillwater and Payne County deserve real accountability — not leniency for violent sexual crimes.
1. Publicly review why youthful-offender status was granted in the Jesse Butler case despite multiple rape and assault charges, and release an explanation to the community.
2. Commit to a written policy that youthful-offender status will not be offered in any future cases involving rape, rape by instrumentation, drug-facilitated sexual assault, forcible sodomy, strangulation, or multiple victims.
3. Advocate for reform of Oklahoma’s Youthful Offender Act to close this loophole statewide.
4. Provide transparency and oversight by publishing annual data on all youthful-offender sexual-assault cases in Payne County.
5. Center survivors — require victim consultation before any plea or classification decision in violent sexual-assault cases.
These are clear, achievable actions that restore public trust and keep survivors safe. Stillwater and Payne County deserve real accountability — not leniency for violent sexual crimes.
Why is this important?
❤️ Why this is important
Because rape is violence — not a mistake, not a “youthful” act.
In Stillwater, a young man accused of raping and assaulting multiple women was granted youthful-offender status, a classification meant for minor crimes, not premeditated sexual violence. That decision sends a devastating message to every survivor: that age, privilege, or connections can outweigh accountability.
Survivors already battle shame, silence, and disbelief. When the justice system minimizes their trauma, it tells offenders they can harm again without facing full consequences. This isn’t just one case — it’s a dangerous precedent that will echo through future courtrooms unless we act now.
We are demanding change because justice should protect the vulnerable, not the violent. The Payne County DA and Oklahoma lawmakers must close the loophole that lets violent sexual predators hide behind “youthful-offender” leniency — before it happens again.
Because rape is violence — not a mistake, not a “youthful” act.
In Stillwater, a young man accused of raping and assaulting multiple women was granted youthful-offender status, a classification meant for minor crimes, not premeditated sexual violence. That decision sends a devastating message to every survivor: that age, privilege, or connections can outweigh accountability.
Survivors already battle shame, silence, and disbelief. When the justice system minimizes their trauma, it tells offenders they can harm again without facing full consequences. This isn’t just one case — it’s a dangerous precedent that will echo through future courtrooms unless we act now.
We are demanding change because justice should protect the vulnerable, not the violent. The Payne County DA and Oklahoma lawmakers must close the loophole that lets violent sexual predators hide behind “youthful-offender” leniency — before it happens again.