Suspect Drops His Request for Castration

A lawyer representing the family of a man who asked to be castrated rather than face trial on a child-molesting charge said Thursday the man has changed his mind and doesn’t want the surgery.

State District Judge Michael McSpadden last week approved Steven Allen Butler’s request to be castrated instead of going to trial on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl.

But attorney Charles Freeman said Thursday that Butler, 28, told him over the weekend that he would rather go to trial.

“He told me at that time, ‘I have never wanted to be castrated. I just wanted to keep my options open,’ ” Freeman said.

Freeman said Butler told him he feared being sentenced to life in prison if convicted because of his previous guilty plea for indecency with a 7-year-old.