A Salem police officer is about to stand trail for allegedly raping a young man in protective custody.
57-year-old Brian Butler doesn’t deny that he engaged in sexual acts with the young man while the man was in protective custody in the wee early hours of Halloween 2016, though he maintains the whole thing was consensual.
But prosecutors beg to differ. They argue that the young man felt he had “no choice” but to give in when Butler propositioned him.
It all started when the man was placed in protective custody for being drunk and flooding his motel room at the Clipper Ship Inn.
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According to his police documents, the young man took off his clothes because they were soaking wet. Then he asked for a blanket and if he could use the phone to call for a ride home. As he was dialing the number, Butler reached under the blanket and began fondling him.
That’s when the young man says Butler led him to a broom closet and asked if he could perform a sex act on him.
“What else could I do?” prosecutor Kate MacDougall quoted the man as saying. “I was in fear because he was a police officer.”
But there’s an added layer to all this. At the time of the encounter, Butler was married to the police chief, Mary Butler.
Salem News reports:
The case has received heightened attention within the community not only due to Butler’s role as a police officer at the time of the incident, but because he is the husband of police Chief Mary Butler, who filed for divorce on Friday, citing an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. The two have been separated since the allegations came to light. She has not been present for pretrial proceedings in the case and was not in court on Tuesday.
On Friday, Mary Butler officially filed for divorce from her husband after 31 years of marriage, citing an “irretrievable breakdown” as the reason. She has not responded to any requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Butler is charged with rape and indecent assault and battery. His trial is set to begin tomorrow and will likely last about a week. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
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Josh447
Wow. A movie in the making.
Donston
Here come the distrubed troll(s) ready to dismiss any accusations of assualt.
Matthew
A person in custody cannot legally consent to sex with a law enforcement /correction officer assigned to guard them. Cop should plead for a deal.
Troyfight
I kind of wondered about that as well……the officer does not inspire a horny porn fantasy, btw..uggh:
http://www.bostonherald.com/sites/default/files/styles/featured_article_big/public/media/2016/11/09/110916Butler02.jpg?itok=N96Sbnpm
Josh447
Queerty your removal of benign comments is bordering on nazism. Commenting that a accused rapist cop is ugly is not removal worthy. Relax it already.
buzzy58
If that had happened to me, I don’t know what I would have done. To me it sounds like a dream come true. I have a fantasy about having sex with a cop while he is in uniform.
The cop really took a big chance at feeling up the guy beneath the blanket. That in itself would be a reason to suspend the officer, even though I would have loved it. LOL! I’m just wondering in the “poor guy” that was sexually assaulted was really secretly loving it but regretted it later.
JoeyRamone
This site is so full of it and schizoid: copy is clearly riding the #metoo politically correct crap yet there is a photo of a hot cop’s forearm and crotch.
tghost54
This sounds like buyer’s remorse.
You can turn down anyone even a police officer. I’ve been propositioned by two on different occasions. I politely declined and they were fine with it.
Both times I had gotten off work and was exhausted and in need of a shower or I would have said yes.
This guy should have said I’m not comfortable with this and he would have stopped
If you don’t say no and you don’t say stop it’s not rape.