12/12/2025
I’ve been sitting on this and I think it’s time to share. We all know how improperly the Jesse Mack Butler case has been handled, and the more we learn about various predator cases in Payne Co, OK, the harder it becomes to call any of this coincidence.
Now stay with me here.
In 2022, First Assistant District Attorney Kevin D. Etherington, one of the highest-ranking prosecutors in Payne and Logan Counties, was arrested after 14 NCMEC cyber tips linked him to CSAM. OSBI agents searched his Stillwater home, seized evidence, and booked him on aggravated possession of CSAM and a computer-crimes violation.
That was November 2022. We are now only weeks away from 2026, and according to the official OSCN docket, Etherington’s jury trial is not scheduled until March 3, 2026.�That is a delay of more than three years, with no conviction, no trial, and no public resolution in the meantime, oh, and no proof it won’t be delayed further.
And here’s the part that raises even more concern: OSCN shows that every Payne County judge IMMEDIATELY recused themselves from his case on the DAY it was filed. It had to be reassigned to a judge from another county because the conflict of interest was so deep inside the Payne County courthouse. Instead of holding this man accountable and keeping kids safe, they decided to wash their hands of it.
It’s also important to remember who placed Etherington in that position of power. He was hand-selected and hired by District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas, the same DA in the Butler case. She then installed Kevin as her First Assistant DA, the #2 prosecutor in the entire district. Kevin shaped charging decisions, internal policy, and specifically how crimes against children were handled. He also worked directly with the same judges and attorneys who oversaw the Jesse Mack Butler case.
And this is where a troubling pattern begins to emerge.
Multiple verified local sources report that Judge Kulling, the regional presiding judge, privately drafted the plea deal in the Butler case, that’s NOT something judges are not supposed to do. Crafting plea agreements is the responsibility of the District Attorney’s Office, not the bench. Yet according to these sources, Kulling wrote the deal behind closed doors and expected it to stand.
And who carried it out?�Judge Worthington, who serves under him in the judicial hierarchy.
Local sources are also alleging that Kulling, former DA Laura Thomas, and others connected to the Etherington era may be working behind the scenes to keep Etherington’s case from moving forward, at least any time soon. These claims have not been confirmed publicly, but the concern is growing because:
Etherington’s case has been stalled for more than 3 years,
All local judges recused themselves immediately,
And the trial is now delayed until March 2026.
So this is what Payne County is showing us, not one isolated failure, but a pattern:
- A top prosecutor charged with crimes involving children.�
- A District Attorney who hired him and oversaw the office he helped shape.�
- A presiding judge allegedly crafting plea agreements in private.�- A subordinate judge enforcing them.�
- And an entire courthouse where every safeguard meant to protect victims seems to be collapsing inward.
No wonder the Butler case ended the way it did. No wonder the community is demanding answers.��Because when cases involving children keep getting mishandled, minimized, delayed, or quietly redirected, it stops looking like a mistake, and starts looking like a system that is broken from within.
Drop your thoughts in the comments about this one and don’t forget to follow. AND, if you haven’t yet signed the petition to end easy plea deals for child predators, please do so, the link is below. �
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Stop Plea Deals for Child Predators