WATCH: Judge acquits Salmon Arm Mountie on dangerous driving charge

UPDATE  (4 p.m.) – Salmon Arm RCMP officer Cst. Micah Chan has been found not guilty on a charge of dangerous driving.

Micah Chan was charged after an investigation by the province’s police watch dog, the Independent Investigations Office, into a June 2013 incident that left a young woman dead.

21-year-old Courtenay Eggen allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and Chan followed her.

The short chase, lasting under two minutes, ended with Eggen’s car slamming into a parked dump truck and a police cruiser going off the road on the other side of the street.

After the crown called its final witness in the trial on Wednesday, the defense made a no evidence motion.

Chan’s lawyer argued a superior officer never issued an order to shut down the high speed pursuit, even though two other officers testified they heard the directive over the radio to call off the chase.

The Judge dismissed the no evidence application, and continued with the trial on Thursday.

Late Thursday afternoon, the judge hearing the case returned with a not guilty verdict.

SALMON ARM – The trial of a Salmon Arm RCMP officer charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle took a twist Wednesday.

After crown counsel called its final witness, defense made a no evidence motion.

Defense lawyer Neville McDougall argued there is no evidence of dangerous driving and called on the judge to acquit.

Micah Chan was charged after an investigation by the province’s police watch dog, the Independent Investigations Office, into a June 2013 incident that left a young woman dead.

21-year-old Courtenay Eggen allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and Chan followed her.

The short chase, lasting under two minutes, ended with Eggen’s car slamming into a parked dump truck and a police cruiser going off the road on the other side of the street.

In court Wednesday, McDougall went through the crown’s case and argued there is no evidence to support the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

Among other things, McDougall argued Chan was driving exactly the way the expert would expect him to and the police cruiser reached its top speed of over 150 km/hr on a straight stretch.

Previously court heard from Corporal Sardinha who testified he told Chan to shut it down.

Wednesday, defense argued it was very quickly after that when Chan told other officers he was off the road.

Crown counsel argued that if Chan was not following directions, then that creates a dangerous situation and also contended that the officer was speeding excessively

Judge Wallace has reserved her judgment and is expected to make a ruling on the no evidence motion Thursday morning.