A former superintendent of the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP was convicted of assault on Tuesday, but the conviction won't appear on his criminal record. 

Steven McVarnock, born in 1961, appeared at the Vernon Law Courts April 2, when he pleaded not guilty to assault with a weapon and entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge of simple assault, according to the BC Prosecution Service. 

According to court records, the assault charge stems from an incident in Spallumcheen on June 29, 2024. 

Following the pleas, the matter proceeded directly to sentencing and the court granted an absolute discharge. This means McVarnock's assault conviction will not appear on his criminal record. 

McVarnock also faced a charge of mischief related to the incident, but that charge was stayed at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, said Damienne Darby, communications counsel with the BC Prosecution Service. 

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 亚洲天堂.