BUCYRUS — William Butler of Bucyrus appeared in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday to change his plea on accusations of rape, a first-degree felony punishable with up to 11 years in prison and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a third-degree felony punishable with up to 60 months in prison.
Butler, 62, pleaded guilty to the rape and unlawful sexual conduct of his step granddaughter. In exchange for the plea, the two rape charges that were added earlier this week will not be prosecuted.
Before sentencing Butler, Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold took statements from the state, a victim and the defense. Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler addressed the court first.
“This man is a terrible, despicable and evil man who preyed on an innocent and weak victim,” Hoovler said. “The 14-year-old victim should be commended. Her courage and strength will make sure that no one else is a victim of Mr. Butler.”
The victim’s mother addressed the court next. She explained how her own father had gone to prison and when Mr. Butler came into their lives, they thought he was a model husband, father and grandfather.
She spoke of her daughter’s learning disability and delayed speech. She felt her daughter’s disability made her a target for Butler.
“He took advantage of her, told her not to tell. She has fear and flashbacks and guilt. My mother walked in on her husband of 23 years and her grand-daughter.”
The mother went on to share with the court the struggles the family is facing. She said they will need counseling and support.
“Family secrets have come out and my daughter is not the only victim. He has been violating children for years. It’s a horror for the parents. And all of this at the hands of a man we loved and trusted,” the mother said.
She went on to say Butler even manipulated her mother.
“He knew my Mom had been abused and he came in like a hero.”
Upon completion of the victim impact statement, Leuthold addressed the family.
“This is not your fault, especially your mother. This man is a masterful liar putting up a façade,” Leuthold said. “It’s not your fault and it’s not your mother’s fault. When someone as old as Mr. Butler is still getting by with this, it reflects a level of expertise he has acquired. If I were you, I would never think of this man again but to think of him as dead.”
Butler’s court-appointed attorney, Brad Starkey, also addressed the court, saying his client wished to make no statement.
“I have seen remorse in Mr. Butler, but the sentence doesn’t adequately reflect the seriousness of the crime,” Starkey said.
Leuthold again addressed the family.
“Don’t blame yourselves. It is painful to see this and hearing you folks is painful for me,” Leuthold said. “This family has gone through hell. But there is one part of this I do enjoy. I can take a monster like this out of our community and put him in state prison. Our community is not going to have to worry about Mr. Butler lurking around our community. I do have some fresh anger though; I wish I could sentence him to more time.”
Leuthold sentenced Butler to a total of 16 years in prison, the maximum sentence with no possibility of judicial release.
“When I sentence defendants, I usually try to say something uplifting,” Leuthold said. “But in this case the only good thing I can say is that I’m glad you’re gone!”