A former Vernon RCMP superintendent has again been charged with assault with a weapon, this time in relation to an incident near Bella Coola this past summer.
Steven McVarnock, born in 1961, was charged with assault with a weapon in relation to one complainant, and simple assault in relation to a second complainant, both stemming from incidents alleged to have occurred on July 29 near Hagensborg.
McVarnock has not yet entered a plea on either charge, confirmed Damienne Darby with the BC Prosecution Service.
It’s the second time McVarnock has been charged with assault with a weapon in as many years. He received the charge in relation to a separate incident in Spallumcheen on June 29, 2024. He pleaded not guilty to the assault with a weapon charge from that incident this past April but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of simple assault.
The court granted McVarnock an absolute discharge on the Spallumcheen assault and imposed a victim fine surcharge of $100. A charge of mischief was stayed by the Crown. The absolute discharge means McVarnock’s assault conviction does not appear on his criminal record.
McVarnock retired after having served 32 years with the RCMP, according to a blog post. He started as the Vernon RCMP’s Superintendent in December 2006 and spent less than three years in that post. He spent three and a half years as commander of the RCMP’s V Division in Nunavut, from 2009 to 2013, according to the Nunatsiaq News.
McVarnock’s next appearance on the Hagensborg charges, a scheduling apearance, will take place in Bella Coola provincial court on Nov. 18.
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