Des Moines man sentenced to decades in prison for child sexual abuse

(Polk County, IA) – A Des Moines man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for sexually abusing minors. 36-year-old Matthew Akeem Butts pleaded guilty in Alford, acknowledging the evidence against him. Investigators say Butts was accused of meeting minors through SnapChat in Polk and Story counties. A Polk County judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison. That sentence will be served consecutively with a 45-year sentence in Story County.

Butts was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in late 2022 and early 2023 after meeting her through SnapChat. He was also accused of taking a video of her and threatening to share the images if she didn't continue meeting with him.

On August 12, Butts was sentenced to 45 years in prison in Story County for two counts of third-degree sexual abuse and distribution of drugs to a minor. The sentence includes a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. In that case, Butts was accused of meeting a 13-year-old girl from Roland through SnapChat in December 2022.

The Polk County case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Meggan Guns with assistance from Kayla McKee. West Des Moines police Officer James Paup led the investigation.

The Story County case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Tiffany Meredith and investigated by Detective Anthony Rhoad and the Story County Sheriff's Office.