A man who raped a teenage girl while they were working at a nursery and then kept her silent about the crime for over a year will serve a decade behind bars.
The man, Jerry Mitchell Butcher, 49, entered a guilty plea before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley to the charge of rape.
He was ordered to serve 10 years in the state penitentiary. As terms of his plea agreement, he will be forced to serve the entire 10 years in prison without chance of early release by parole. He will also be required, once out of prison, to list himself for life on the state’s sexual offender registry which keeps track of convicted sex offenders.
Butcher and the young teen victim were working at a local nursery when the crime occurred. It was learned Butcher followed the girl inside a building at the nursery while they were taking a break and forced himself on her.
The crime, which actually happened almost a year ago, remained unreported because the girl was afraid to come forward.
“He warned her not to tell anyone,” said sheriff’s investigator Kevin Murphy, explaining the delay in the case coming up for investigation. “He admitted to it when he was questioned.”