KITCHENER — Jeffrey Shaver has been found not guilty of all charges laid in his arrest at Cambridge Memorial Hospital.

It was the police seizure of his medical marijuana and bong when he was arrested at the hospital on Oct. 20, 2016, that prompted Shaver to stage several nearly naked protests.

Shaver was charged with possession of pot, possession of a weapon (dog spray), assault (for allegedly resisting arrest by a security guard) and causing a disturbance.

He had a document showing he was allowed to smoke medical marijuana. The pot charge was dropped 11 months later and on Thursday Justice Wayne Rabley found Shaver not guilty of the other three charges.

Shaver said he had been at the hospital after having a panic attack. He said he "had an issue with the vending machine" and wound up getting searched and charged.

After his bong and pot were seized, Shaver, 32, staged multiple one-man protests, wearing skimpy underwear or a thong and smoking a bong. He often had two big signs: Return My Bong and Return My Marijuana.

In the end, police did return the Cambridge man's bong and pot.

Shaver announced Thursday's not guilty verdict on Facebook.

"You are my hero, that's so awesome," a friend wrote.

Two days after the incident at Cambridge Memorial, Shaver legally smoked medical marijuana in front of the Cambridge police station and was charged with pot possession and a breach.

"I was held for 18 hours in jail ... when I had the proper documentation, " Shaver said. Those charges were dropped two months later, Shaver said.

The professional standards branch of Waterloo Regional Police earlier this year ruled Shaver was legally allowed to have marijuana and concluded officers unlawfully arrested, searched and detained him on Oct. 22.

Shaver plans to sue Waterloo Regional Police, several police officers and the attorneys general of Ontario and Canada for a total of $3 million, alleging false arrest and malicious prosecution. He said he served the suit on one of the officers at the Kitchener courthouse on Thursday.

The arrests "affected my health and mental health, also limiting my ability to work," Shaver says in the lawsuit.

In September 2017, Shaver was charged with public nudity for wearing a thong with his "buttocks exposed" in front of the Kitchener courthouse, police said at the time. That charge is still before the courts, as is a mischief charge tied to a protest.

Shaver, who represented himself in court this week but received guidance from defence lawyer Jonathan Graham, was understated in his reaction to Thursday's verdict.

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"It's good. It's a bit of a relief, but still a battle ahead."