A Provincial Court judge in Fort St. John ruled a father who intervened when his daughter was on the verge of taking a ride with a potentially drunk driver was not guilty of assault and uttering threats.

The Aug. 20 written verdict by Judge Darin Reeves, after a three-day trial in June, contains a ban on publication of the identities of the father and daughter and their location.

On May 18, 2024, the date of the incident, the father was organizing branding and inoculation of 200 cattle and 200 calves at a barn on a rural ranch.

Family and neighbours assisted him and he provided food and beverages, including beer, to the crew. The man’s daughter “repeatedly asked him to go out with an older girlfriend who had been drinking all day,” but he refused. That sparked several arguments. One of

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