Thankful for friends and family support during long court case

Dear Editor:

I feel beyond relieved about the recent acquittal of the criminal charges that were laid against me in 2016. I would like to thank all the friends and family who remained by my side through these troubling times!
The support of my family and friends helped me through the last roughly five years, while we were waiting to have our day in court.
I have been acquitted on the two charges I was facing. The trial took place in Taber, Alberta on March 3 and 4, 2021. The trial was originally set for 10 days and later reduced to three days. After less than two days of testimony, the judge acquitted me of both charges.
For the first time in almost five years, I had the opportunity to tell my side of the story. It seems with that information the judge was able to make an informed decision and acquitted me on both charges.
The Taber Police Service, who handled the investigation, at no point attempted to interview me during their two-year investigation until after charging me. For some reason, they simply took the complaint at face-value and made no attempt to get my side of the story.
To say I am greatly disappointed and concerned about the manner of which this investigation was conducted would be a massive understatement!
Once the charges were laid and the court system took over, more than four years passed before I had the opportunity to offer testimony in my own defence under sworn oath.
When the charges were originally laid in 2016, the accuser was on TV and had a statement prepared the same day accusing me of theft and fraud. The newspapers, television and radio stations aired the story relentlessly.
Yet, none of the media outlets managed to make it to my court date — which inspired some of my supporters to make some inquiries to the media looking for some type of explanation, as to why the story was not being followed upon.
That being said, I do understand the media was just doing their job — but the damage the reporting had in my life, and more importantly, my family’s lives is immeasurable. Responsible reporting should always be the driving force, in my opinion, for all media outlets.
I look forward to the future without these charges hanging over me, more importantly, my family name, we will no longer have to cope with this tremendous burden.
It is my hope to move on with my life and begin to rebuild, as the financial toll of the costs associated with my defence were significant and will take a long time to recover from — if ever.
I am grateful for the defence team I had and look forward once again to moving on with my life.

Scott Blanchard