Photo: RCMP

A man allegedly involved in an altercation involving a weapon in Vernon last summer will not be going to court.

Michael Hans Bopfinger was facing charges of assault, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose stemming from the July 23, 2022 incident.

On that day, frontline officers from the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP responded after a woman reported an altercation had taken place between her and a man who allegedly pointed a handgun at her.

The incident happened in the parking lot of an apartment building and ended when the man walked away. The alleged victim was then able to call 911.

Members of the RCMP Southeast District Emergency Response Team and the RCMP Police Dog Service were deployed to assist Vernon Mounties in searching for the man who was not located at the scene.

Bopfinger was arrested without incident by Vernon RCMP 10 days later.

Gordon Comer, spokesperson for the BC Prosecution Service, said all charges have been stayed by the crown, but it's not clear why.

“After reassessing the decision, the Crown concluded the charge assessment standard was no longer met and directed a stay of proceedings,” Comer said in an email.

Comer said the BCPS applies a two-part test to determine whether criminal charges will be approved, and a prosecution initiated:

1. whether there is a substantial likelihood of conviction; and, if so,
2. whether the public interest requires a prosecution.

“This test applies at all stages of the prosecution. If, at any point, the prosecutor concludes that this test is no longer met, a stay of proceedings is the appropriate course of action. That is what occurred here,” said Comer.

Bopfinger, born in 1975, has a lengthy history of violent crimes.