EDITOR'S NOTE: This article contains details of an alleged sexual assault and, because the trial is under a publication ban, any identifying details about the accuser or the timeline of events have been omitted. The article also contains details that may disturb some readers.
Two days of trial set aside earlier this week for charges related to intimate partner violence against Reuben Bruzas was not enough time to complete the cross-examination of the alleged victim.
Bruzas, the 42-year-old owner of Reubara's Bistro and Catering, currently located at the new downtown plaza, appeared in court Tuesday and Wednesday wearing a suit and jacket with the logo of his company.
He is currently facing five charges, including sexual assault, two counts of assault, forcible confinement and criminal harassment. Bruzas has not testified so far in the trial but did offer a plea of not guilty to all five counts against him.
The trial is still in progress and Bruzas is presumed innocent of all charges unless proven guilty.
On Tuesday, the first day of the trial, the Crown called three police officers to testify about their response to a call for service that came the evening of one of the alleged assaults. Bruzas was not charged on the date of that alleged assault.
In their testimony on Wednesday, the accuser said they wore a sweater on the evening the police arrived in an effort to cover up marks from the alleged assault.
In regards to the sexual assault charge, the accuser testified the two were engaged in consensual sexual activity when Bruzas allegedly forced anal penetration on them. That activity, the accuser claimed, had been clearly deemed off limits prior to intercourse.
The accuser did not recall the specific date of the alleged sexual assault and did not seek medical attention for the injuries claimed.
The criminal harassment charge stemmed from an allegation that Bruzas created his own account for the OnStar assistance service on the accuser's personal vehicle and allegedly used a "locate my vehicle" feature of the app to determine its location on more than 400 occasions within the period of a few months.
That claim stemmed from a discussion the accuser said they had by phone with an OnStar representative. The accuser said they were unable to get written documentation about the alleged misuse of the OnStar account and police did not issue a production order to the company to retrieve confirmation of the allegation.
Previous to the current case before the court, Bruzas pleaded guilty to charges of break and enter causing mischief and criminal harassment. He received a suspended sentence and two years probation.
The two days originally set aside for the trial was not enough time to complete the witness testimony. An additional day and a half will be required for the continuation of the trial, with dates yet to be finalized.