ESTEVAN – A Carnduff man who was arrested and charged with numerous offences last month was back in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday.
Zachary Christopher Hillis appeared via video conference. After a brief discussion about a potential release on bail, he was remanded into custody for a show-cause (bail) hearing on Nov. 12 in Weyburn, where he will appear in person.
Legal Aid attorney Joelle Graham said she was prepared to proceed with a hearing on Monday, at the end of which she would have been seeking a judicial interim release report to be prepared with a provision for electronic monitoring.
Federal Crown prosecutor Kathryn Gilliss and provincial senior Crown prosecutor Stephen Yusuff said they were opposed to Hillis' release, and there would be an application to revoke his previous release. Gilliss expects it would be a lengthy show-cause hearing.
Hilliss is facing two new charges stemming from the October incident, one for being unlawfully in a dwelling-house and another for violating his release conditions, bringing the total number of charges to 13. Five of the charges are for violating release conditions.
Background: Hillis was arrested after the Carnduff RCMP received a request for assistance Oct. 23 from a rural property northwest of Glen Ewen.
Officers responded and determined a man had assaulted a woman. They located the man, Hillis, who was wanted on a warrant by the Carnduff RCMP for breaching court-ordered release conditions. Hillis was arrested at the scene without incident.
After further investigation, the RCMP says officers located and seized two firearms, ammunition, a pocket knife, approximately two grams of cocaine and drug trafficking paraphernalia from the rural property.
Hillis was initially charged with one count each of unauthorized possession of a firearm, unsafe storage of firearms, assault, uttering threats, and possession for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine).
He was also charged with two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and four counts of failing to comply with his release conditions.
He is also facing drug and firearm charges stemming from an arrest earlier this year.
The charges have not been proven in court.
The Mercury and SaskToday will have updates on the story as they become available.
