Gilles Deguire, former Montreal North mayor, charged with sexual assault, touching of minor
Deguire stepped down as mayor in early January
Gilles Deguire, the former mayor of Montreal North, is facing charges of sexual assault and the sexual touching of a minor.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by Radio-Canada, Deguire was arrested some time this month and released on condition that he appear in court to be formally charged. He is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
Documents say the alleged assault happened between Dec. 1, 2013 and Oct. 23, 2015.
Deguire stepped down as borough mayor in early January, and an executive committee member confirmed he was under criminal investigation. Deguire had been a member of Mayor Denis Coderre's party.
'Let the courts do their work:' Coderre
At a hastily organized news conference on Monday, Coderre said he will not comment on the charges so as to not influence the court proceedings.
"We'll let the courts to their work," Coderre said. "I already reacted last week to Mr. Deguire's resignation."
On Jan. 10, Coderre said he was "in shock" at the resignation, adding that services must still be delivered to residents. He appointed city councillor Chantal Rossi as acting borough mayor.
Before entering politics in 1999, Deguire was a Montreal police officer for 30 years, including stints with the youth crimes prevention squad and later as an investigator with the department's sexual crimes unit.
He worked for 10 years as a political attaché for Bourassa-Sauvé MNA Line Beauchamp, and he was elected borough mayor in 2009.