David Hull, the previous executive director of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, was acquitted Monday of assaulting his former girlfriend during an argument in May of this year.
Judge Kenneth Skilnick presided over the one-day trial in Abbotsford provincial court.
Hull, 53, was arrested and charged with assault in the early morning of May 28 after Allison Longshore, his girlfriend at the time, filed a report with police.
Longshore, 35, testified during the one-day trial by judge that the pair began a relationship in September 2010, and began living together in November.
Longshore said she told Hull in April that she wanted to separate.
They were still living together when, on the night of May 27, they went to a gala event, both consuming several drinks throughout the evening. They returned to their home after midnight, and Longshore said she asked Hull to leave. An argument ensued.
Longshore said Hull then grabbed her by the wrists, forcefully pushed her down on the bed and straddled her. She said she pushed Hull off and ran out of the building.
Hull testified Longshore was lying on the bed when he sat on her, gently placed his hands on her shoulders, and tried to calm her down because she said she would leave the apartment and he was concerned about her safety.
Although the judge said he found Longshore to be the more credible witness, he was not sure, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Hull had used "intentional force" upon her.
Hull was suspended from his job with the Chamber of Commerce on June 3 and then resigned three weeks later.
He still faces charges of criminal harassment and breach of his release conditions, stemming from another incident this year.