Attorneys Don't Want Jury To Know Client Is Married To Chief

SALEM, MA -- Attorneys for the former Salem police officer on trial for rape and indecent assault and battery of a man who was in custody will try to prevent the jury from hearing that he is the estranged husband of Salem Police Chief Mary Butler. Brian Butler, 57, maintains the sex he and his victim had in the booking room of the Salem Police Station on Halloween morning in 2016 was consensual, while his victim said he felt powerless because he was being held naked in custody and Butler was a police officer.

According to the Salem News, Butler's attorney filed a motion Wednesday seeking to prevent Essex County prosecutor Kate MacDougall from raising Brian Butler's relationship to Mary Butler when his trial begins Thursday. Opening arguments are expected Thursday, after attorneys ran into delays in seating a jury on Wednesday.

For more on this story, see the Salem News. Subscribe to Salem Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

File photo of Salem Police Chief Mary Butler by Dave Copeland/Patch.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).