Ex-fire chief not guilty of sex assault

Charges followed complaints from volunteers

A former Fort St. James fire chief has been found not guilty of sexual assault involving volunteers.

Robert Harold Bennett was initially convicted in 2015 of sexual assault after three women who volunteered at his fire hall — Kirsten Rudolph, Lisa Button and Joy Reierson — went to RCMP with allegations about years of abuse.

During a judge-alone trial that year, court had heard from witnesses about how Bennett was a heavy drinker, had made sexually suggestive comments around the three female volunteer staff and allegedly tried to grope two of them and force himself on the third.

It led a judge to declare Bennett had created a toxic work environment with his “bad behaviour.”

Following that conviction, the B.C. Court of Appeal ordered a new trial after it found that the judge had displayed an apprehension of bias.

“Regardless, Mr. Bennett and his family are simply looking forward to moving on with their lives.” — Lawyer’s statement

The new trial began late last month with testimony from Rudolph, who told court Bennett was “drunk all the time” when showing up at the volunteer fire hall.

“At the end of my tenure, he would show up to practice intoxicated to the point where he couldn’t stand up without assistance,” Rudolph said.

In a decision handed down this weekend at a Prince George courthouse, Bennett was found not guilty.

“Mr. Bennett is relieved that finally, after four and a half years of facing these awful allegations, he has be found not guilty,” read a statement shared Sunday by Bennett’s lawyer Jason Tarnow.

“However, as a result of these allegations, Mr. Bennett lost a career as a fire chief, endured damage to his good reputation, and endured unmeasurable stress.

“Regardless, Mr. Bennett and his family are simply looking forward to moving on with their lives.”

A civil suit initially launched by the three complainants against the District of Fort St. James and Bennett had been put on hold pending the outcome of the criminal trial. It remains unclear if the trio plan to continue pursuing the civil suit.

Attempts to reach the complainants on Sunday were unsuccessful.