A suspended Notre Dame football player has entered a plea of guilty to a class A misdemeanor of resisting arrest.
Devin Butler made the plea in regards to the August incident at the Linebacker Inn in South Bend. He was accused tackled a South Bend Police Officer. An additional battery charge will be dropped.
Butler must pay about $145 in damages for the officer’s uniform and equipment, write a written letter of apology, and go through a diversion program.
If Butler meets the terms of his agreement, he will not have to appear in court again for this case. He will also be able to withdraw the guilty plea after one year if he cooperates.
The South Bend Police Department was cleared of wrongdoing late Friday afternoon.
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office released the following statement:
“The decision to allow Mr. Butler to plead guilty to a lesser included misdemeanor
offense was not made lightly. This decision was based on a review of the totality
of the circumstances, including: Mr. Butler’s demonstrated remorse for his own
actions (directly after the incident occurred while being transported to the St.
Joseph County Jail and his continued remorse up to today); and the defendant’s
willingness to acknowledge not only his actions, but his unequivocal
acknowledgement that the officers conducted themselves appropriately and
professionally while effectuating the arrest.”
Here is the apology letter that Devin Butler wrote.
