Authorities in Hamilton, Ontario have charged a former megachurch pastor with sexual assault following a reported allegation in April.
Hamilton police in Ontario, Canada have charged Bruxy Cavey, former pastor of The Meeting House Church, with one count of sexual assault on May 31. The 57 year old was the primary teaching pastor at the Canadian megachurch at the time of the alleged assault. He had worked there from 1996 to 2021.
CBC News reported that Det. Sgt. Jennifer Currie confirmed in an email that an allegation was reported in April and that the sexual assault occured in Hamilton. The detective added that they will not provide "any specific details" with regards to the dates or locations to "protect the identity of the victim." Cavey, who resides in Hamilton, was arrested but later released under some conditions. The former pastor is set to appear in court on June 27.
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Former Pastor Resigned Over Abuse of Power and Sexual Harrassment Allegations
This is not the first time Cavey was the subject of a sexual misconduct allegation. In March, the former pastor resigned from The Meeting House Church, which is headquartered in in Oakville in Halton Region, after an external investigation revealed that Cavey abused his power and sexually harrassed a member of the congregation, the Hamilton Spectator reported. Conflicting reports say that Hamilton police's charges against the former pastor are linked to the church's external investigation earlier this year.
In March, The Meeting House Church's Melodie Bissell, who was hired as a "victim advocate," said that there had been a power dynamic between Bruxy and his victim. Board chair Maggie John said in a statement that the former pastor's relationship with his accuser lasted an "an extended period of time, constituted an abuse of Bruxy's power and authority as a member of the clergy, and amounted to sexual harassment." Another member of the board, Jennifer Hryniw, said that the sexual assault occurred when Cavey was 46 and the accuser, who said she was in crisis when she met the former pastor, was 23 years old.
In a blog post dated March 8th and titled "My Confession," the former pastor admitted that, "At the core of these allegations there is truth." The former pastor admitted to confessing to The Meeting House Church that he had an "extramarital affair" and issued a public apology, writing that he was "deeply sorry." The former pastor also announced that the church asked for him to resign and he had submitted his resignation.
Cavey concluded his blog post by writing, "My failure is not a failure of the presence, power, or teaching of Jesus, but an example of the pain someone like me can cause when I ignore his presence and fail to follow his teaching."
Hamilton Police Urges Former Pastor's Victims to Come Forward
Hamilton police are now actively asking anyone who has information on Cavey's alleged crimes to come forward. The authorities believe there may be multiple victims. The agency assured in a media release that the service believes all sexual violence survivors. It added, "There is no statute of limitations for sexual offences, and offenders can be prosecuted well after the date of the offense," CP24 reported.
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