Jesse Butler accuser, ex-girlfriend speaks out after teen serves no prison time: 'Outrageous'

An Oklahoma teen accused of sexually assaulting two former girlfriends was sentenced to rehab, counseling and community service but no time behind bars.

Now, one of alleged victims shares her story, exclusively with ABC News.

"This has flipped my world upside down, and that's not something you can erase," Kate Sweeney.

Last week, a judge ruled that 19-year-old Jesse Butler will go free without serving a day in prison after he completed his probation. He was accused of sexually assaulting and strangling two high school girls. Butler pled no contest.

The case first went viral when this body camera footage was released.

Then 17-year-old Butler was seen standing next to his mother at his Oklahoma home when he was taken into custody in March of 2025 on 11 different counts, ranging from rape by instrumentation to sexual battery.

The charges stemmed from the allegations of two former girlfriends.

One of them, now 18-year-old Sweeney.

"I want to get out there in the world so more people know and more people can protect their children and themselves," Sweeny said.

Sweeney says she started dating Butler when she was 16 and she told police that about a month into their relationship, things started to get violent.

"Over time it just kept getting worse, but since it was such a slow progression, I didn't understand how big of a deal it was whenever it was actively happening."

While Butler was initially charged as an adult, because he was under 18. His felony charges were downgraded to "youthful offender" after prosecutors agreed to a request by his defense.

Once facing the possibility of decades behind bars, Butler was sentenced only to rehabilitation, counseling and community service, with supervision.

He pled no contest, meaning he accepted his conviction but did not admit any guilt.

"We were not expecting that. We were either expecting to go to trial or to have a guilty plea," Sweeny said.

Then, last Monday, on the eve of Butler's 19th birthday, a judge found that he had met the requirements of his sentence and dismissed his case.

Butler's defense attorney suggesting in court that his client was the victim.

"I thought that was outrageous. If he really thought he was innocent, why would he take a plea deal? Why wouldn't we go to trial and prove that?" Sweeny said.

Butler's defense attorney told The Oklahoman "...we maintained our innocence and explained that we entered a plea to essentially engage in risk management in the case."

A newly elected district attorney is saying he plans to submit the case to federal agencies for prosecutorial review.

As for Sweeney, she filed a civil case earlier this week against the Butler family, among others.

"I just always try to look for the positives in every negative situation. We didn't get justice out of this, but now people know to look out for him," she said.