Barry Butzow, a longtime racehorse owner in the Twin Cities, pleaded guilty Monday to fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct after prosecutors said he drugged and sexually assaulted a bartender he had hired to work a private party at his Eden Prairie home in May 2024. Under a plea deal, the 79-year-old received a stayed 364-day jail term, will serve two years of probation, and must register as a predatory offender. Sentencing is scheduled for June 30, and prosecutors said they will ask the court to cap any actual jail time at 90 days.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office confirmed the plea to FOX 9, which reported that Butzow admitted to a single count of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct as part of the agreement. According to FOX 9, the plea came just as jurors were being prepared for trial in the case.
The criminal complaint details the victim’s account: she was hired to bartend a May 18, 2024 cocktail party at Butzow’s home and returned two days later to help pack up, according to the Star Tribune. She told investigators she lost consciousness after drinking wine and later woke up in a bedroom with Butzow next to her. Hospital staff collected DNA swabs that investigators later matched to Butzow. The Star Tribune reports the woman filed a report with Eden Prairie police on May 22, 2024.
Butzow is a familiar name at Canterbury Park and across Minnesota racing circles. Coverage of his racing career, including ownership stakes that put one of his horses in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, has appeared in the racing press, as noted by Equibase.
Plea terms and next steps
According to reporting on the case, the plea calls for a stayed 364-day sentence and two years of probation, and it requires Butzow to register as a predatory offender. Prosecutors told FOX 9 they will urge the judge at the June 30 hearing to limit any executed jail time to 90 days. The plea resolves the higher third-degree felony count that had been filed and was headed toward trial.
Legal context
Under Minnesota law, criminal sexual conduct in the fifth degree covers nonconsensual sexual contact and is charged as a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine, according to state statute. The requirement that Butzow register as a predatory offender follows the state’s registration rules, which impose ongoing reporting duties and can include public notification in some circumstances. Details are laid out in Minn. Stat. § 609.3451 and Minn. Stat. § 243.166.
Butzow previously denied the sexual assault allegation when first interviewed by police, the Star Tribune reported, and the guilty plea was entered as the case was moving toward trial. The June 30 sentencing hearing will determine whether the judge accepts the plea terms and the prosecutors’ recommendation on any executed jail time.
