Milwaukee Fire Department captain accused of assaulting girlfriend found not guilty

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee County jury found Milwaukee Fire Department Captain Leon Butts not guilty on Monday, July 23.

Butts, 48, was accused of strangling, raping and abusing his girlfriend, a Milwaukee police officer. He faced three felonies and two misdemeanors for allegedly battering and sexually assaulting his girlfriend from 2015 through 2017.

In court last week, the victim detailed the alleged abuse and the night she says she almost died.

Leon Butts

"He balled his fist. He clenched his teeth and he head butted me. He's up against my face. He says 'do you know what I'm going to do to you?' I think I'm going to die," she said.

The victim also testified in court that she felt a supervisor had blown off a previous report of abuse that she had made about a different person.

Butts has risen through the ranks at MFD, with decades of service under his belt.