Arrest made in Victoria restaurant sex assault case, police say
CTV
Victoria police say they've made an arrest in connection to their ongoing investigation of reports of sexualized violence associated with a downtown Victoria bar and grill.
In a news release, the Victoria Police Department did not name the suspect, who they said was arrested Friday in the Lower Mainland. The man has since been released with a court date and conditions, including an order not to contact the survivors of the sexual assaults he allegedly committed, police said.
VicPD said the man faces "several recommended charges of sexual assault." The allegations against him have not been tested or proven in court.
According to police, the investigation stems from online allegations of sexualized violence posted on social media in late January of this year.
Police invited those sharing their experiences to come forward, and "numerous people" did so, VicPD said.
While Victoria police have not named the restaurant, CTV News has previously reported on the allegations against Jesse Chiavaroli, a former employee of Chuck's Burger Bar, which faced protests after the allegations were made public and closed its doors permanently in March.
In February, the restaurant said it was unaware of the allegations until they surfaced online, at which point they fired him. Chuck's said it did receive a written complaint from a staff member about the man in 2019 but that the situation was resolved at the time and Chiavaroli was reprimanded.
In June, Chiavaroli was arrested on six counts of sexual assault by the Burnaby RCMP detachment, on behalf of Hamilton police.
Hamilton police said at the time that the arrest was the result of a lengthy investigation linked to restaurants and bars in the Ontario city. They also said they suspected there may be other victims in Ontario.