Bush accused of groping waitress

| 20/07/2017 | 124 Comments
Cayman News Service
McKeeva Bush’s mugshot in Florida

(CNS): The speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the former premier of the Cayman Islands, McKeeva Bush, continued to make headlines Thursday as more details emerged in connection with his arrest in Florida last Monday night. According to a spokesperson from the Seminole police department, Bush (62) was arrested because a female employee at the casino where he was arrested told officers Bush had grabbed her buttocks. 

Gary Bitner said the woman had sworn an affidavit and police had viewed video footage of the incident.

“The arrest followed an interview with and sworn statement by the female employee victim and a review of surveillance video,” Bitner said in a statement.”Bush allegedly wrapped his arm around the victim’s lower back and forcefully pulled the victim towards his direction. According to the arresting officer, the victim alleged he grabbed her buttocks while pulling her with his right arm.”

Keith Seltzer, Bush’s lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, told Cayman 27 News that Bush was innocent and that it was a cultural misunderstanding. He appeared confident that the case was unlikely to progress.

Bush was released on a $1,000 bond following one night in the Broward County jail. He has not been formally charged and has had no travel restrictions placed on him since his release. CNS understands that Bush will be back in Cayman at the beginning of next week.

Nevertheless, the news of his arrest and the publicity surrounding it locally and overseas has stirred concerns about his future role as speaker and a political leader. CNS has reached out to Bush for comment, but we have still not received a response. Government has also remained silent on the issue. Repeated attempts to contact the premier about the arrest and Bush’s role in the PPM coalition have also failed to elicit a response.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller told CNS that he believes Bush should step down. However, he said that he would be discussing the issue with the members of his opposition bench tomorrow, after which they would be releasing a collective statement on the situation.

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Category: Crime, Politics, USA, World News

Comments (124)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Okay, let’s consider the facts. Mckeeva is 60 years old, and by many accounts, XXXXXX #1 it happened in America, where there are strict laws on sexual harassment & assault, and #2 the woman reported it, and the incident was dealt with by authorities. Mckeeva siting that this was a “cultural misunderstanding” is certainly wrong and a complete copout.

    XXXXXX This is something that the Cayman Islands need to take a long hard look at. Although most of us are good citizens, with strong morals & values, there are less moral individuals who may feel inclined to take advantage of basic human rights, especially in a country where sexual harassment & sexual assault is underreported. If and when reports are made, they are rarely taken seriously, or the blame is shifted to the victim. Therefore, victims are less inclined to step forward and make reports when it does happen. This is systemic and defined as a “rape culture”. *rape cul·ture Noun a society or environment whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault and abuse. (A topic that was recently discussed on the Rooster morning show, thank you!)

    The action of grabbing a woman’s buttocks is by no means a “cultural act”, it is clearly an assault on the modesty of a woman. Equal & Human Rights need to be taken more seriously in the Cayman Islands. Victims need to not feel afraid.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Agreed fully! Too many lodge members are running rampant and selling us moral folk out to who they feel is a “brother”.

  2. Anonymous says:

    What is the warning in some of our Government buildings about “insult the modesty of a woman”? Think this classifies.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Cayman. Where the men are men and the women are vessels. Right?

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  4. George Nowak says:

    How many eggs do I need to make pancake batter ?

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