Charges against 2 Yellowknife men withdrawn; Crown says no reasonable prospect of conviction

Donovan and Dean McNeely were both supposed to be on trial on June 17, when the Crown dropped all charges against them.

Assault trial for Donovan and Dean McNeely was set to begin June 17

Nadeer Hashmi · CBC News · Posted: Jun 24, 2025 6:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 24

Building — The courthouse in Yellowknife on March 25, 2024. Two people charged with assault, among other charges, had those charges dropped the day their trial was set to begin last week. (Robert Holden/ CBC)

All charges against two Yellowknife men regarding an assault were dropped last week, on the day their trial was set to begin.

Donovan and Dean McNeely were both supposed to be on trial on June 17. Donovan McNeely was facing five charges, including assault, possessing the proceeds of crime, dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision. Dean McNeely faced two charges: assault and possessing property obtained by crime.

The charges stemmed from February 2024, when Donovan McNeely was accused of hitting someone with a hammer while driving a stolen vehicle in a Yellowknife parking lot. The alleged victim later went to hospital with injuries.

Crown prosecutor Raegan Rankin told CBC the charges were withdrawn because the Crown no longer had a reasonable prospect of conviction.

The Crown said they wouldn't give any further details.