Cody J. E. Wilson has been found guilty of all counts, save for the charge that alleged Wilson had knowingly put a gun underneath a seat in his truck.
Wilson’s trial, in which he was facing two counts of possession of prohibited weapons and two administrative charges with respect to firearms, including storage of a firearm contrary to regulations and carrying a weapon or prohibited device.
Wilson was arrested on Oct. 7, 2016 outside the Denny’s on Westminster Avenue in Penticton after his then-girlfriend called police from inside the restaurant while Wilson waited on her outside, in his truck.
The jury heard he was sitting in his truck on his phone when officers snuck up on him.
Related: Video shows rough arrest of man in trial on firearms charges
A video shown in court, obtained by the Western News, showed the rough arrest, in which an officer is seen winding up and punching Wilson while he is pinned to the ground.
An object is seen pulled from Wilson at approximately the 40-second mark, and then another object at the end of the video, at which point an officer said “I’ve got one here,” with another responding “Secure it.”
The handgun police found underneath Wilson’s seat in the truck is not seen in the video.
Though the defence attempted to suggest there was no evidence of a gun being pulled from Wilson during his arrest, the jury found landed on the side of the Crown on that charge, after coming to a decision just after 7 p.m. Thursday.
Related: Wilson’s firearms trial in jury’s hands
However, the defence case that there was no evidence Wilson was the one who put the gun under the seat of his car — which defence lawyer Michael Patterson alleged could have been the girlfriend, who admitted to calling the police on false pretences.
“I think the jury did their job as the court asked the, to do, and they spent time and they deliberated properly over the issues,” Patterson said Friday morning. “I do not believe it was rushed. My client is grateful to the jury, and I am grateful for the spirited way in which Crown dealt with their case.
“We had hoped for acquittals on everything, but it’s a matter for the jury, and we accept the jury’s verdict. I think they did a great service to the criminal justice system.”
The court will reconvene on Jan. 15 to set a date for sentencing.