Former teacher sentenced to 120 days for sex crimes

Police responded to an anonymous report of a white van parked in front of Lomita Park Elementary School in Millbrae with Butts and the victim kissing inside. Officers found her alone in the vehicle, but the victim was found nearby.

The victim initially told investigators that nothing inappropriate had happened, but later admitted that she had been kissing Butts and said the two were in love. Further investigation found explicit text messages and evidence of sexual conduct going back to October 2015.

At the sentencing hearing Dec. 19, the defense allegedly referred to the victim as a sexually sophisticated partner, according to prosecutors. Butts did apologize for affecting so many lives and alleged she'd saved the victim by keeping her from suicide at a time when she’d been distraught, prosecutors said.

“We occasionally hear that from defense attorneys trying to put on the best face for their client, but judges almost always reject that,” District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

“At 13, dealing with an adult, you can in no way attribute anything to the sexual sophistication of the victim,” Wagstaffe said. “It’s a non-factor, irrelevant in our minds.”

He did note that the victim had told investigators that she did not want Butts prosecuted or convicted.

“She wanted nothing to do with it,” Wagstaffe said.

Butts will be required to register as a sex offender, despite a motion from her attorney, and will be prohibited from associating with minors or frequenting places where children congregate like parks, schools and pizza parlors. A motion to reduce her felony conviction to a misdemeanor was also denied Tuesday, Wagstaffe said.

Defense attorney Paula Canny did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her client’s behalf.

Butts’ legal name has been changed to Heather Wilson, which Wagstaffe expects will be the name used when she registers as a sex offender. Wilson is her mother’s maiden name and what she used after her parents divorced. That was before she reportedly married her husband, with whom she has two children ages 9 and 12, according to Wagstaffe.

As part of her 120 sentence, Butts’ received one day’s credit for time behind bars, according to prosecutors.