Arrest of Pastor’s Nephew for Alleged Police Assault Leads to Notice of Brady Material in Son’s Sexual Offense Case
Published May 6 4:00 p.m. | Edited May 6 5:38 p.m. | Corrected spelling of Rey's name.
The arrest of Victor Bruce, nephew of Ignite Life Center (ILC) head pastor Mark Vega, appears to have impacted one of the lewd or lascivious battery cases involving Christian Vargas, Vega’s adopted son.
Along with Vargas, Gabriel Hemenez and Noel Cruz have also faced charges for committing sex crimes against minors at ILC.
Last month, Bruce publicly called for the arrest of Vega for holding a private meeting on the victim's sexual misconduct reports in Cruz's case instead of telling police.
Jack Walden
Bruce was Baker Acted a week later after his cousin, Michel Rey, reported that he said he'd “shoot up the church.”
Bruce was arrested on a warrant at Meridian Healthcare for allegedly attempting to pull a gun on officers when they arrived at his residence to Baker Act him.
Bruce told GnvInfo at Meridian that he did not reach for his firearm.
Following Bruce's arrest, Vargas, who has two open cases for lewd or lascivious battery, received a notice of Brady Material in one of his cases. The notice suggests that Bruce's arrest report may be considered exculpatory evidence, as Bruce could potentially serve as a witness due to his past attendance at ILC.
ILC continues to hold sermons Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Bruce’s brother, Nick Bruce, serves as an associate pastor at the church.
More information on ILC is available in the investigation below.
