Man gets eight consecutive life sentences after teens kidnapped in Prattville

A man has been sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences after two teenage girls were kidnapped at gunpoint from a Walgreens in Prattville.

The kidnapping happened in November 2022. The victims were 17 years old. They survived and were returned to their families.

Prattville police later arrested Michael Jerome Butler of Greenville, who pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping, rape, sodomy, robbery and sexual torture in April.

Today, Autauga County Circuit Judge Joy Booth sentenced Butler to serve eight consecutive life sentences in the Alabama Department of Corrections.   

Surveillance video from a gas station assisted law enforcement in identifying Butler after the girls were released and able to share their statements with law enforcement.   

Once identified, law enforcement learned Butler had four felony convictions as part of his criminal history, according to District Attorney CJ Robinson. 

Robinson says that after committing the Autauga County crimes, Butler traveled to the Atlanta area where he was involved in an armed home invasion, shooting, robbery and other crimes. Butler was also tracked to St. Clair County where he kidnapped and murdered a woman to close out his crime spree.  

Robinson says he has been a vocal opponent to prison reform and has used Butler’s criminal history to paint a picture of what can happen when inmates are released  early without the supervision necessary to track them and maintain public safety.

“I am so  proud of the work of the Prattville Police Department in spearheading the multi-agency efforts to apprehend this evil soul. While Chief Thompson’s officers did an amazing job, the  true heroes are the two young women who lived through every parent’s worst nightmare. 

“Neither girl ever lost her will to survive. They are not victims, they are survivors. I have spent time with both girls and their families, and I leave every meeting with a tear in my eye and inspired to keep fighting. Fighting for justice when people are victimized and fighting for policies which aim to protect us all.”

Robinson said, “Sadly, when the State of Alabama went ‘all-in’ on an experiment called prison reform in 2016, we committed to raising a generation of young people who have watched their parents/guardians, older siblings and their friends face minimal to zero consequences for criminal acts.

“Nearly a decade of failed leadership, lies from special interest groups, and reckless policies based on skewed statistics infested our communities with drug dealers, thieves, violent offenders and sexual predators who continue to leave a  trail of victims in their path. We were routinely misled to believe our prisons were full of nonviolent drug addicts while thousands were being released with every type of prior conviction you can imagine.

“Thankfully, the last two legislative sessions we have taken great strides to begin re-establishing accountability and slow down the revolving door of  violent offenders being released back into society after serving only a fraction of their sentence. I couldn’t ask for better senators and representatives than we have in Autauga, Chilton and Elmore Counties to join hands and pursue policies and solutions that focus directly on public safety. 

“The bottom line is simple…a monster like Michael Butler was in prison on his fourth felony by a court out of South Alabama, but was he released early without an ankle monitor (which was required) then failed to show up for supervision. Butler drove to our circuit and began his reign of terror. There is no excuse, no justification, and no dollar amount that  can soften the nauseating reality that these unspeakable acts of violence could have been avoided.” 

— Information from the Office of District Attorney CJ Robinson