FILE PHOTO - Kamloops mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson in his office on Oct. 21, 2024.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

A Kamloops journalist's back pat may have been unwanted, but it wasn't an assault.

That according to a Kamloops RCMP in a news release announcing the conclusion of a thorough investigation into Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson's allegation he was assaulted by Castanet editor Tim Petruk.

Hamer-Jackson filed the complaint more than a month ago after the pair saw each other at Bailey's Pub in North Kamloops. They didn't speak until Petruk left the bar and patted the mayor on the shoulder and said, "have a nice night."

Police concluded the "unwanted contact" was not an assault and dismissed the complaint.

“Our investigators completed a thorough investigation which included reviewing video and speaking with witnesses, along with assessing all circumstances of this incident,” Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley said in a news release.

Petruk described the complaint last month as an attempt to "harass a journalist" while faced with critical news coverage, going on to say it was just another attempt to use police for his "petty grievances," wasting taxpayer resources. It's one of several times Hamer-Jackson has filed futile police complaints as mayor.

Hamer-Jackson told iNFOnews.ca he was "shocked" at the pat on the back of his shoulder. It didn't leave an injury, but he did say it "wasn't a nice hit."

Pub owner Brandon Coyle said he didn't know anything about the incident when iNFOnews.ca visited last month. If there was surveillance footage, he said he would only share it with police.

Investigators did review it and concluded while it may not have been criminal, it was unwanted contact.

“The public are reminded to respect personal boundaries and not make unwanted contact," Pelley said.

The RCMP news release only described the complainant as a city official and did not name either Hamer-Jackson or Petruk, though the complaint was widely covered by the media last month. The release concluded with a note that police wouldn't be disclosing their names.

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