Butz is very naive and loud-mouthed, much to the chagrin of those around him. He talks and acts without thinking, even in trying circumstances that demand the utmost seriousness, such as during his own murder trial, or when confronting a suspected killer. The wide variety of trouble this has gotten him into led to the saying at his school, "When something smells, it's usually the Butz." Such is the frequency of these incidents that Butz habitually lies to and otherwise hides information from even his closest friends out of embarrassment, forcing them to coax the truth out of him, as his information is often critical to a case.