Forgery charge against Marystown Mayor Sam Synard dismissed

Things played out in provincial court in Grand Bank Tuesday just as MarystownMayor Sam Synard said they would.

A charge against Synardfor forging an affidavit was dismissed.

• Marystown Mayor Sam Synard says he will be 'exonerated' on charge of using a fake document

Synard, 57, was arrested on July 8 and briefly held in custody.

The allegation

Synardsaid all he had done was witness thesignature of a man who had written an affidavit saying he had paid $400 to store hismotorhomein a garage owned by a towncouncillor.

According to Synard,thatcouncillorfiled a complaint with theRCMP, allegingthe document was fraudulent because the date wasn't correct, and he had allowed the man to store themotorhomefor free.

"I had witnessed someone's signature saying they had stored amotorhome," saidSynard. "This was the big fraud case that I was charged with."

Synard told CBC News in an interview at the end of July that he fully expected to be exonerated, saying the allegation was connected to an ongoing strife between him and others on the town council.

Synardsaid when the case was called Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Danny Vavasour called one witness, and then asked for a break.

According to Synard, when court resumed, Vavasoursaid there was no chance of the Crown winning the case, and asked Judge Harold Porter to dismiss the charge.

Impact on him

Synardsaid while he was pleased with the outcome, it's been a trying incident.

"I had to put a brave face on and walk around town and walk around the province knowing that behind my back people were probably thinking I had done something terribly wrong," said Synard.

Synard saidthat he's glad the complaint went to trial as quickly as it did.

"Most innocent people who are charged with a crime have to face years and years of their life being in turmoil."