D.A. Drops Molestation Case Against Santa Monica Chief

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has declined to file molestation charges against Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts, saying there is insufficient evidence to prove the allegations in court.

In a written evaluation of the case, Deputy Dist. Atty. Diana M. Teran noted the lack of corroborating medical evidence and several other things that tipped the balance away from concluding the conduct was improper.

For one thing, the report said, the initial molestation report was filed by the girl’s mother, Inglewood Police Sgt. Minnie Butts, the day after her husband filed for divorce.

The couple are in the midst of a custody battle over their only child, now 6, with a hearing set later this month.

From the outset, James Butts said he was the victim of a vengeful wife. On Friday, he responded emotionally to the news that prosecutors would not pursue the case, saying it was too easy for someone to ruin a reputation.

“There needs to be some type of legislation enacted to protect the lives and reputations of people who are victims of those that would use a child in such an unconscionable manner in an attempt to obtain an advantage in a divorce,” James Butts said. “I spent 20 years establishing who I am and in 15 minutes reading an article it was taken away.”

Minnie Butts could not be reached for comment Friday.

The district attorney’s probe was sparked by Minnie Butts’ complaint on Oct. 1, 1992, at the Marina del Rey sheriff’s station that her husband had abused their daughter about two years ago.

Minnie Butts told sheriff’s deputies that her daughter accused her father of digitally penetrating her vagina, according to the complaint filed with the Sheriff’s Department.

When interviewed by a sheriff’s deputy, the girl essentially repeated that account, saying her father had touched her vagina while they were watching a “scary movie.”

The girl said she was able to recall the incident “because her mother reminds her every day,” the prosecutor’s report said. The report was provided to The Times in response to a California Public Records Act request.

But in an interview this week with representatives of the district attorney’s office, the girl’s account changed. According to the report, she now says her father touched her after she complained to him of genital pain and asked him to telephone her mother, who was apparently away from home. Instead, the girl said, her father examined her, using his finger. She told investigators she yelled, “Ouch,” and ran from the room.

No one in the district attorney’s office would comment while the investigation was pending.