Casper man held woman in mother's home, prosecutors say
Authorities allege a Casper man kept a woman captive for 48 hours, choking and beating her before officers found her hiding in a car.
By Alyssa Parker ·
A Casper man faces a prison term of up to 40 years after prosecutors say he held a woman against her will at his mother's home.
Authorities allege the man, identified in court documents as Bryan Butcher, kept the woman captive for 48 hours, from Oct. 21 to Oct. 23, 2026.
Butcher faces 13 counts of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault and battery, felony possession of a firearm, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, and two related charges. If convicted on all counts, he could serve more than 40 years in prison.
The case was originally filed for trial on Nov. 3, but Judge Michelle Pollier found probable cause and bound the case over to District Court. Her next court date is set for a hearing, which had not been scheduled as of Tuesday.
Casper Police Det. Courtney Crackerich said Butcher first contacted the woman on Oct. 21 after he "demanded to see her."
The woman went to Butcher's mother's home, where Butcher lived. Court records describe the initial encounter as verbally abusive. Butcher allegedly punched the woman and did not allow her to leave.
Over the next 48 hours, the woman alleged Butcher continued to abuse her verbally and physically. At one point, he strangled her and confined her to a bedroom. The confinement continued even after Butcher's mother returned home.
Crackerich noted in the affidavit that the mother stated Butcher had been "sneakily" quiet lately, which indicated to her that he was up to no good.
Throughout the day and night, Butcher "kept a handgun on his person at all times," and the woman "felt threatened by the gun," according to the affidavit.
Butcher eventually convinced the woman to take her to her home on the morning of Oct. 23 to get some clean clothes. Once inside, the woman went inside, her roommate called the police, and she "locked the door and waited for the police to arrive," court papers indicate.
When officers arrived, they allegedly found Butcher inside the car with a loaded handgun described as "beat up."
A subsequent search of the home turned up a small baggie of a crystal-like substance, which investigators suspected was methamphetamine, along with blood residue and streaks on towels that suggested someone had tried to clean up, according to Crackerich's account. The affidavit does not indicate whether the suspected methamphetamine was ever tested during the search of the home, where Butcher had been living. Investigators described the scene as having a suspected methamphetamine, a bloodied hoodie and blood residue in a bathroom, along with signs that someone had tried to clean it up, court papers indicated. During a later interview at the county lockup, Butcher allegedly "did not want to go into any details … because he believed it would make the case 'stronger,'" told investigators he was "not the victim here" and acknowledged he "f***ed up."
