The prosecutors of Cleveland County in Oklahoma have accused a man of attacking an Oklahoma University student while they took a ride in an Uber from Campus Center.
John Butler Jr., a 41 year old from Lawton was charged last week after he allegedly assaulted and then ruined evidence that had stemmed from an incident between him and a female rider on April 30th.
According to a probable cause affidavit written up by Lt. John Bishop of the University of Oklahoma Police Department, a female OU student had got into Butler’s car and she was immediately attacked by Butler.
Apparently, Butler right when she entered the vehicle, he immediately locked all of the doors and struck the female victim on the left side of her head with just enough force to knock her unconscious.
Bishop had written in the affidavit that Butler was a 22-year infantry combat veteran of the US Army. He was trained in hand-to-hand combat tactics.
Eventually, the victim escaped and contacted police when the vehicle came to a stop. She had unfortunetly left her phone in the car, but luckily for officers, is what helped them be able to track Bishop to his home in Norman.
At his home, officers had found Butler washing bloody clothing that he allegedly was wearing while the assault took place.
There was no attorney listed on the online court records for Butler, and he has not entered a plea deal on the charges as of yet.
During a police interview, Butler had admitted to the assault in his car, as well as transporting the victim, and knowingly concealing the victim’s phone in his property with the intention to dispose of it at a later time. He also confessed to destroying evidence, as well as making false statements to the police when they were in the middle of the investigation.
A judge of Cleveland County had reduced Butler’s bond from $75,000 to $55,000 only if he would no longer provide taxi services of any kind, or contact the victim. He is also required to complete a PTSD treatment, according to the court documents.
A spokesperson for Uber had said the company removed Butler’s access to using the app immediately after they had learned about the incident.
A Cleveland County judge on Tuesday reduced Butler’s bond from $75,000 to $55,000 with conditions that he does not provide any taxi service or contact the victim. He must also complete PTSD treatment, according to court documents.
Uber Spokesperson, Sarah Casasnovas, in an email to News 9 said “There is no excuse for this disturbing behavior and our hearts are with the rider as she recovers, The driver no longer has access to the app, and we are assisting law enforcement on their investigation. ”
Now, the University of Oklahoma has two free safety services available to students, SafeWalk and SafeRide, which is for any student who is looking for help getting home during the late night hours.
The University of Oklahoma offers two free safety services, SafeWalk and SafeRide, to students looking for help getting home during overnight hours.
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