A 56-year-old Sexual Predator was sentenced to Life in prison without the possibility of parole Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of molesting a 6-year-old girl, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Michael Neaves Butts, of Alabama, was found guilty of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation on a person under the age of 12 after a one-day trial. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark then ordered the Life sentence.
In 1997 the defendant was found guilty of Attempted Sexual Battery of a young girl and ultimately was sentenced to a total of about 16 years in prison. He also was designated as a Sexual Predator. He was living in Alabama at the time of the most recent offense, which occurred while he was visiting here.
“The pain and suffering unleashed by this defendant on 2 innocent children more than 20 years apart is hard to articulate,” Prosecutor J.P. Ferreira said after the verdict. “Because this victim came forward, he will spend the rest of his life in a prison cell where he belongs.”
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Prosecutor J.P. Ferreira presented evidence and testimony that included both the 6-year-old victim in the recent case, and the sexual abuse victim who was 8 years old when Butts was convicted of sexually abusing her in 1997.
In Wednesday’s case, the sexual abuse came to light during an ongoing Department of Children and Families investigation into the living conditions at the child’s home in 2023. The defendant was in Bay County during a portion of that time, and when he left the victim reported the abuse.
Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center personnel trained in working with child sex victims interviewed the child, who detailed the abuse.
Basford thanked the Springfield Police Department, DCF, and the GCCAC for their active role in the case.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.