Former Site C dam worker sentenced after stabbing colleague in back with serrated knife

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A former Site C dam worker has been sentenced for aggravated assault after stabbing his colleague in the back.

The B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) told Energeticcity.ca that Stephen Barnes, 36, was sentenced for one count of aggravated assault after the incident in August 2024. 

According to the BCPS, Barnes was sentenced to 222 days in jail on March 18th. The CBC reported that he pleaded guilty.

The BCPS said the court took into consideration the number of days spent in custody ahead of sentencing. In Barnes’ case this was 572 days, but he was credited with 858 days because the law dictates that each day counts for 1.5. 

Barnes, who is originally from Calgary, also received 24 months of probation and a 10-year ban from owning any firearms or weapons. 

Prior to the incident, Barnes worked at the Site C dam in Fort St. John. 

Leo O’Brien, the victim of the assault, previously told Energeticcity.ca that on August 24th that year, he saw Barnes punch a company vehicle, before getting into a physical argument with another employee. 

Following the initial argument, according to O’Brien, Barnes was informed by a general foreman that he was not to return to the work camp.

O’Brien told Energeticcity.ca he remembers being verbally confronted by Barnes when he got to the lunch room. After the confrontation, O’Brien says he turned around to sit down and eat yogurt, at which time Barnes ran over with an eight-inch serrated knife and stabbed him in the back.

Fort St. John RCMP, along with emergency medical services, responded to the scene and Barnes was later arrested. 

 O’Brien was rushed to Fort St. John Hospital before being flown to Edmonton’s University of Alberta, where the knife was removed from his back by surgeons.

He told Energeticcity.ca he is now paralyzed from his gut down, and while he does maintain some mobility in his right leg, his left leg is entirely paralyzed. 

During the time of the incident, Barnes worked as a scaffolder at the Site C dam site.

Barnes is serving out his sentence in Kamloops. He will begin serving his two-year probation after his release.

The Site C hydroelectric dam on the Peace River near Fort St. John became fully operational in August 2025.