Independent MLA for the riding of Peace River North, Jordan Kealy has been charged with one count of sexual assault according to Crown Counsel.
“Mr. Kealy has been charged, which means that the evidence gathered by the police has been reviewed by the special prosecutor who would have been brought in for that role and has laid a charge of sexual assault against him,” said Michael Shapray, a Vancouver criminal defence lawyer.
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Shapray states that it is standard practice to have a Special Prosecutor in place for these types of cases, especially when it is a government official.
“Very often as an abundance of caution to avoid any actual conflict of interest or even any perceived conflict of interest when there’s somebody who is connected to the government or in the government, the idea is to bring in a non-government lawyer to prosecute.”
Gail Barnes, a Vancouver lawyer with a private practice, will handle the case.
“She is not an employee of the government like the Crown Council office are and she’s brought in to review the file and then to run the prosecution independent of the Crown Prosecution Office in Fort St. John.”
The investigation into Kealy’s alleged actions started in February and the “alleged offences” took place somewhere between Jan. 1 and Sept. 20 of 2024 in Fort St. John.
Shapray says that it isn’t unusual for the public to not know about an investigation like this.
“We don’t often hear about ongoing investigations for a number of reasons, whether it’s privacy concerns, whether it’s to protect the person being investigated in case there is no charges, or really just to protect the integrity of the investigation,“ said Shapray.
Typically, the party that the MLA belongs to will also do its own investigation into the allegations and decide whether to have the MLA step down.
“There’ll probably be some decision being done in relation to this that is relevant to his role in government. That may not necessarily be the case for just a private citizen facing these charges. We’ll have to watch how that plays out in the courts now that this is in the public domain.”
“We’ve some seen some people trying to hold on to their position and fight, and some people recognize that they don’t want to be a distraction and step away.”
1130 NewsRadio has reached out to Kealy for comment.
Kealy is due in provincial court in Fort St. John on July 6.
