Police: Northshore school teacher arrested for attempted child rape

REDMOND, Wash. - Redmond police arrested a Northshore School District teacher on Tuesday for second-degree attempted rape of a child.

Detectives with the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested 61-year-old John Edwin Butz of Snohomish after a sex crime sting operation. He was a teacher at Leota Middle School in Woodinville.

Authorities say Butz communicated with an undercover detective under the presumption he would be meeting with minors at a hotel for sex. 

According to court records filed during first appearance on Wednesday, Butz responded to a police-staged Craigslist ad seeking a "tutor/mentor" for a 9- and 12-year-old girl, as well as teaching them about other cultures. Butz eventually met with an undercover detective posing as the mother of the two daughters. Court docs say that, when asked about why he was interested in tutoring the girls, Butz explained that during a Navy deployment to Japan, he "started to enjoy the submissive culture of women, and had engaged with different individuals there."

Butz alluded to wanting to coach the 12-year-old daughter in "oral" and mentioned "pleasing" and "pleasure," per court docs.

Court docs say Butz continued to communicate with the undercover detective, saying she was "hot and sexy" and indicating he was interested in a sexual relationship with her, as well. The detective rebuffed him several times, but Butz continued to say how he was interested in her and her oldest daughter.

After communicating for roughly a month, the detective flatly asked him if he wished to have sex with her children, to which he "immediately responded yes," court docs say. They arranged to meet at a hotel in Redmond, where Butz was met by police and arrested.

During his arrest, Butz said it was "all a misunderstanding, and he was only going to the hotel in hopes of convincing the [undercover detective] to have sex with him."

John E. Butz

This sting is separate from the other child sex crimes sting carried out in Renton, in which bodycam video was released on Wednesday. Those arrests were made in October.

Butz will likely be charged with second-degree attempted rape of a child. Prosecutors anticipate getting a charging decision by late Friday afternoon.

He now remains in King County Jail on $50,000 bail.

Police encourage anyone who believes their child may be a victim to contact law enforcement right away.

After Butz's arrest, the Northshore School District issued the following statement:

"The safety of children within our broader community and Northshore School District is our top priority. When the Redmond Police Department notified the District of the arrest, the staff member was immediately placed on administrative leave. The District will continue to support the active police investigation as needed. No additional comments will be provided as this is an ongoing investigation."

Families received the following message from the school district:

"The District was notified by the Redmond Police Department that one of our Leota Middle School teachers was arrested for attempted criminal offense towards a minor. Based on the information we have been provided by law enforcement, the arrest is not related to any attempted misconduct with a Northshore student.

"As soon as the Redmond Police made the District aware, the teacher was placed on administrative leave. The District will continue to cooperate with the police, and provide support as needed.
The Redmond Police Department has shared information with media sources and the public in order to further the ongoing investigation.

"The District takes the health, safety, and welfare of the District’s students very seriously. We will continue to work with our schools’ administration and staff to remain focused on providing a positive educational experience throughout this challenging time.

"The Redmond Police Department is requesting that if anyone has additional information about this situation or believes their child or another child may be a victim, they should contact their local law enforcement agency. As the investigation is still ongoing, the District cannot share additional information."

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