Former Pelham CAO faces sex assault charges
Former Pelham CAO Darren Ottaway had a court date in Cochrane last week to answer to sexual assault and sexual interference charges, some of which are alleged to have occurred prior to 2019, when he was still living in Pelham.
Ottaway is currently on leave from his position as Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Cochrane, a community of 5000 located south of Moosonee in northeastern Ontario. Ottaway was hired as Pelham’s CAO in 2012 and fired in 2019.
He is charged with two assault charges, a sexual interference charge, and a sexual assault charge.
He was granted bail at his initial court appearance on January 24, and has not personally appeared in court since.
Via Zoom before Justice Carr, lawyer Khalil Bheriani was present on behalf of Ottaway’s defense counsel, Paul Bragagnolo. An in-person trial date was set for June 14 in Cochrane, at which time all charges against Ottaway will be addressed. Witnesses for the prosecution and defense have been scheduled. Bheriani told the court that it was unlikely a pre-trial resolution would be reached.
It appears that Ottaway will not face the Niagara justice system. NRPS spokesperson Phil Gavin told the Voice last month that Niagara police were waiting for further information from the OPP.
“I have also spoken to the detectives from our Special Victims Unit, and they are not aware of any changes forthcoming. It is their belief that the matter will be handled in its entirety by the OPP and Crown's office in Cochrane.”
