Army solider pleads not guilty to sexual assault
A 24-year-old Army soldier has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault involving a 23-year-old woman in Aiea.
Walter E. Butler Jr. of the 25th Infantry Division appeared in Circuit Court today via closed-circuit video link from the Oahu Community Correctional Center after an Oahu grand jury indicted him on March 8 on charges of three counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree theft.
His attorney, Jason Burks, pleaded not guilty to all charges on Butler’s behalf. Judge Colette Garibaldi confirmed his bail at $500,000 and set his trial for May.
Police said Butler and the woman are acquaintances.
During the early morning hours on March 4, court documents said Butler allegedly sexually assaulted the victim inside his vehicle at a parking lot in Aiea.
Police said Butler choked her during the assault. Afterwards, the victim told police he “pushed her out of the vehicle and drove off.” Her cell phone and purse were inside the vehicle when he left.
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The victim walked to a nearby hospital and reported the assault.
Police arrested him two days later at Wheeler Army Airfield.
Butler is a specialist who has been assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade at Wheeler since April 2015, according to Lt. Col. Curtis Kellogg, spokesman of the 25th Infantry Division.