Former punk rocker charged in incident at legislature protest accused of posting nude photos on web without consent

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This article was published 02/09/2022 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man charged in a hit-and-run near the Manitoba legislature in February has been accused of posting nude images of women online without their consent.

On May 14, Winnipeg Police Service domestic violence investigators charged David Alexander Zegarac, 43, of Headingley, with one count of publication of an intimate image without consent.

A woman, who had past been in a relationship with the accused, told police in April naked photographs of her had been posted in 2015, the WPS said Friday.

Investigators found multiple nude images of the complainant and other unknown women still online, allegedly posted by the accused, police said. It’s unclear when the images were published, but investigators believe it also occurred without the unknown women’s consent.

“I think it’s important for people to see that this is a crime,” WPS spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said.

McKinnon noted the images were not posted to commonly used social media sites, which have strict content moderation rules.

Based on the evidence reviewed, police believe there are other potential victims and investigators hope to speak with them. They’ve asked anyone with information, or who wishes to speak to police, to contact the domestic violence unit at 204-986-2602.

Zegarac, who was released on an undertaking with court conditions, is also accused in a hit-and-run of four men protesting in Winnipeg against COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in February.

The incident happened on westbound Broadway at Memorial Boulevard at about 9:50 p.m. Feb. 4 — shortly after the weeks-long protest began.

One man struck was taken to hospital and released. The other three suffered minor injuries, police said at the time.

A driver was arrested on the 4800 block of Portage Avenue about 40 minutes after the incident.

Zegarac was charged with four counts of assault with a weapon, four counts related to leaving the scene of a collision, two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, and one count of dangerous driving.

A police spokesman said at the time the driver blurted out statements about the incident while he was being arrested, suggesting his motivation was not specifically about the underlying causes of the protest or COVID-19 mandates.

Zegarac was a member of Winnipeg’s punk rock music scene before moving to Newfoundland around 2007. He also lived in Ottawa before returning to Manitoba.

Brat Attack, the Winnipeg band he founded, was mentioned in the entertainment pages of the Free Press many times in the 2000s. One item referred to the band as “a local political punk group.”

The conditions of Zegarac’s undertaking for the May charge were not immediately available Friday.

A release order for the first set of offences reviewed by the Free Press shows he was released on bail Feb. 5 on a promise to pay $10,000.

He was given an absolute curfew with the condition he stay in his Headingley home. He was prohibited from sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle and mandated not to enter Winnipeg unless for a court date or medical emergency involving himself or immediate family.

The courts also ordered Zegarac not to have any contact with the complainants in the case or possess any weapons.

He will next appear in court on the February charges Dec. 1, and Sept. 27 for the May charge. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera