Former police officer indicted on sexual abuse charge
princeton – A former police officer who performed security duties at a Mercer County high school has been indicted by the February term of the Mercer County Grand Jury on charges including sexual abuse and gross neglect of a child.
Christopher Chad Butler, 37, of Mercer County was indicted by the grand jury on the charges of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust to a child and gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, according to the indictments list issued by the Mercer County Circuit Clerk's Office.
According to the indictment, Butler was in a position of trust to a child in his care and between the dates of Aug. 1, 2023 and Jan. 9, 2024, 'unlawfully, feloniously and intentionally engage or attempt to engage' in sexual contact with a minor. Butler, as an officer with the Princeton Police Department, performed security duties at Princeton Senior High School as a part of a contract between the Mercer County Board of Education and the police department.
Under the second charge, person in a position of trust to a child and gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, Butler allegedly created a risk on Sept. 16, 2023 when he 'unlawfully and feloniously grossly neglect an unidentified female child by permitting the child to brandish a pistol in endangering herself and any other other person present,' according to the indictment.
According to the West Virginia Code, sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust to a child is a felony which carries a possible penalty of one to five years in prison. A charge of gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury is also a felony that has a possibility of one to five years in prison.
Contact Greg Jordan at
gjordan@bdtonline.com
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