Indecent exposure trial postponed

March 18, 2005

KATE GOLDEN/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - The trial date of a Wasilla man accused last August of stalking neighborhood children and exposing himself in a subdivision off Schrock Road was moved from March to July 11 after a recent hearing in Palmer Superior Court.

Edward Allen Butler, 47, is charged with first-degree indecent exposure and driving under the influence, according to court documents.

Eyewitnesses said Butler had been seen in the neighborhood several weeks before, driving around at night and wandering through nearby woods for hours at a time.

Butler allegedly approached several children in the neighborhood. A neighbor said he tried to follow Butler, but he sped away. A week later, when he returned and again approached neighborhood children, residents recognized his car and reported it to Alaska State Troopers.

After a brief chase, troopers stopped Butler, whom they found with a breath-alcohol level of .256 at the scene. The minimum level to violate Alaska drunk-driving laws is 0.08.

Several neighborhood children said he exposed himself to them, court documents said.

Butler has been released from custody on $10,000 bail. Assistant District Attorney Rachel Gernat is prosecuting the case. Butler is being represented by Assistant Public Defender George Davenport.

Contact Kate Golden at kate.golden@frontiersman.com.