An Enderby man charged in an alleged New Year’s Day armed robbery in 2020 of a Salmon Arm liquor store has been found not guilty of all charges except one.
Anthony Robert Summers, 31, was initially facing 10 charges in connection with an incident at Setters Liquor Store on Jan. 1, 2020, which police stated in a 2020 news release had been witnessed by an off-duty Salmon Arm RCMP officer who happened to be in the store at the time.
On Jan. 20, 2023 in BC Supreme Court in Kamloops, Summers was found guilty of careless use of a firearm, in this case transporting a firearm in a vehicle without reasonable precautions for the safety of other people.
He was sentenced to time he had already served in jail, 45 days. He was also given a five-year firearms prohibition and a $200 victim surcharge.
Summers was found not guilty of five charges: robbery, intending to commit an offence while wearing a face mask, pointing a firearm without lawful excuse, having a 22-calibre rifle for a dangerous purpose and having an identity document belonging to another person. The judge ruled that Crown had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Four other charges were stayed, meaning Crown counsel dropped the charges but, in rare cases, can re-start them within one year.
The ruling comes more than three years after the charges were laid, partially because of the pandemic.
Summers had initially opted for trial by judge and jury but changed in December 2020 to trial by judge alone. Although the trial began in 2021, it was adjourned in July 2021 and then resumed on Oct. 31, 2022. It was expected to conclude in November 2022, but took longer than anticipated.
Read more: Off-duty officer witnesses armed robbery at Salmon Arm liquor store
Read more: Enderby man accused of armed robbery of Salmon Arm liquor store ordered to stand trial
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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