A judge needs more time to decide if bond should be lowered for a former Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer Matthew Butler, who is facing five criminal charges for allegations of lewd and lascivious molestation of two different girls -- one as young as 9 years old.
Graphic details were discussed at the bond hearing on Tuesday. Due to their nature, First Coast News has made the decision not to share them.
Butler’s defense team called neighbors, family friends and mental health counselors that argued Butler should be allowed out on a reduced bond.
They argued he’s not a flight risk or danger to the community. The state argued more information is needed to know if Butler is a risk, arguing the nature of the charges is not clear enough to say if he'd be a danger if he got out.
“Her response was it happened so many times, she didn’t remember the first time," said Adair Newman, State Attorney's Office 4th Judicial Circuit.
The State Attorney’s Office argued Matthew Butler started by taking pictures of a young girl who was living with him before it turned to sexual contact over a six-year period.
Another victim, the state argued, is a 9-year old girl. She came over for a birthday party. After falling asleep, she’d wake up to find Butler behind her inappropriately touching her.
“The defendant’s statement when he was interviewed was, essentially, that he can’t explain what happened because he’d blacked out," Newman said.
The former nine-year police officer is in jail on a $1.5 million dollar bond.
Defense Attorney Mitch Stone wants the bond reduced to $150,000. Stone argued Butler’s record is clean aside from these allegations and stated one of the victims visited his home even after the allegations were made.
“He was a police officer for nine years with no complaints against him," Stone said. "Prior to that, he was in construction, no complaints against him."
In addition to friends and family, Stone called licensed psychologist Dr. Stephen Bloomfield who met with Butler for nearly two hours last week.
“He’s not hallucinating, he’s not delusional, he’s not having PTSD, but he is depressed," Bloomfield said.
The State Attorney’s Office argued his depression could be tied to the seriousness of his crimes.
If convicted, three of the charges carry a life sentence and one carries 25 years.
Judge Linda McCallum said she expects to make a decision by the end of the week.