COUNTY - A Baker Settlement man sentenced to house arrest on drug and gun charges in October is due back in court Wednesday to face similar new allegations.

 James Douglas Hiltz, 47, has been in custody since his most recent arrest in mid-December.

 He was scheduled for a bail hearing January 4, but that was delayed a week because he is switching lawyers.

 Mr. Hiltz is charged with producing marijuana and possessing it for the purpose of trafficking in Baker Settlement on December 15. He also faces charges of possessing a rifle while prohibited by court order and having an unsecured loaded rifle.

 In addition, the Crown is alleging that Mr. Hiltz breached the conditional sentence order which he was on at the time of the alleged crimes.

 He had received a four-month conditional sentence on October 5 on charges of possessing marijuana, having a rifle without a licence, possessing a rifle while prohibited and breaching probation by having marijuana.

 Those offences stemmed from a search of Mr. Hiltz's property in November 2010. He had been banned from having firearms for 10 years in connection with a cultivation charge in 2009.

 When he was sentenced in October, the court heard that Mr. Hiltz was self-medicating for back pain with marijuana. He also told the judge he resented the firearms prohibition because he'd been hunting since he was five.

 At that time, Judge Gregory Lenehan warned him if he continued to self-medicate and got caught, he'd end up in jail.

 The judge ordered him to stay clear of drugs and weapons as terms of the conditional sentence. He also banned him from having firearms for life.

posted on 01/11/12