Yancy Victoria Butler (born July 2, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Natasha Binder in the 1993 film Hard Target, Jess Crossman in "Drop Zone", and Detective Sara Pezzini on the TNT supernatural drama series Witchblade.

Biography

Substance abuse and legal issues
On January 2, 2003, Butler was arrested after getting into a fight with her father, Joe Butler, at her uncle's Long Island home. She was charged with criminal contempt for violating an order of protection and two counts of harassment. She subsequently completed a stint in rehab and attended counseling sessions.

Fourteen months after the cancellation of the Witchblade series, in November 2003, Butler was taken into custody in Delray, Florida, for disorderly intoxication and sentenced to a substance-abuse treatment program after police there found her stumbling in and out of traffic. Butler told police that she was an alcoholic who was on medication, according to a Delray Beach Police report. At first, she said she'd been kicked out of a halfway house, but later said she was still in one, the report said.

On March 13, 2007, Butler was charged with driving under the influence and failure to drive in the established lane after she crashed her Saab 900 into a wire guard rail in Sharon, Connecticut. The actress was released on a $500 bail and ordered to appear in Bantam, Connecticut Superior Court on March 26, 2007.

On March 28, Bantam Superior Court Judge Richard Marano issued a rearrest order for Butler because she had twice not appeared at scheduled court dates. The judge directed that the warrant not be served until April 2 to give Butler a chance to explain why she was not in court.

Two days prior to the DUI offense, Butler allegedly phoned 911 after a fight with her boyfriend, 53-year-old Earl Ward Jr. Responding officers reported witnessing a drunk Butler complaining about Ward, who refused to hand over her car keys. The argument resulted in her throwing several items at him. Ward later told police that Butler had been smoking crack cocaine and drinking liquor over the course of the weekend.


Stalking complaint
On February 2, 2007, Butler's former boyfriend was arraigned in Litchfield, Connecticut on charges stemming from a stalking complaint filed by Butler. On September 27, 2007, the former boyfriend pleaded no contest in Bantam Superior Court to one count of creating a public disturbance and was ordered to pay a $50 fine.