Accused awaits trial in drug rehab centre

A man accused of breaching bail conditions and causing a crash that killed a Portage la Prairie woman while he was driving a stolen truck, will be sent to an unsecured addiction treatment centre to await trial.

James Lorne Hilton, 24, will be released into the care of a private inpatient treatment centre in Winnipeg. The facility is sometimes used as an alternative for people accused of a crime whose cases have been remanded, or those sentenced to custody.

Provincial court Justice Jean McBride approved the move Monday on the second day of a bail hearing in Portage. The reasons for her decision, and information presented by Crown prosecutor Clifford Anderson and defence lawyer Brett Gladstone, are subject to a publication ban and cannot be reported.

Hilton’s bail has several conditions, including that he must live at the treatment facility and obey staff instructions. He must abstain from alcohol and drugs, comply with a curfew and cannot be in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, among other things.

If Hilton leaves for any reason, he must immediately turn himself in to police, the court ruled.

“I am thankful that this guy didn’t just walk out of jail, he’s not free to the community and the judge has imposed some conditions on him… but that is not reassuring,” said Meechelle Best, the mother of crash victim Kellie Verwey, 28.

“The feelings were really disappointment… At the end of the day, he gets released into the care and confines of somebody who is trying to help him — and my daughter is gone.”

Manitoba RCMP have said Hilton was impaired and driving a truck stolen from Arborg on the morning of Jan. 15, when he crossed over the centre line on Highway 26 near Portage. A vehicle travelling in the opposite direction swerved to avoid a collision and crashed into Verwey, who was driving behind Hilton, police said.

Mounties said the accused fled the scene and was later arrested.

Hilton is charged with multiple offences, including dangerous driving causing death; impaired driving causing death; failing to remain at the scene of a fatal accident; possession of a stolen vehicle; and possession of methamphetamine.

He was wanted on an arrest warrant at the time of the crash, owing to several bail breaches from other charges. Those include a break-and-enter charge from July 2024, and possessing tools for break and enter in September.

Hilton pleaded guilty to those crimes during a sentencing hearing in Selkirk on June 27.

Court heard he was addicted to fentanyl and methamphetamine, after being introduced to the latter drug by his mother.

“I feel like I just neglected my mothering duties and I feel like he is paying the price,” his mother, Kristi Hilton, told court.

Hilton was sentenced to five months in jail and two years of probation for those charges, but remained in custody due to the separate case involving the fatal crash. He was given a suspended sentence for breaching his release conditions.

Hilton told Judge Stacey Cawley he had beaten his addiction to fentanyl, but was still hooked on meth when police arrested him in January.

Gladstone, who also represented Hilton in that case, said his client has tried to seek further addiction treatment while in jail, but there are few options at the facility where he is staying.

Cawley warned Hilton he must get off drugs if he wants to be a good father to his three-year-old daughter.

“You can get yourself clean or you can live in misery, or you can die… I’ve yet to meet a person who has another option,” she said.

The only other conviction on Hilton’s criminal record is for possessing methamphetamine, to which he pleaded guilty in July 2024.

Meanwhile, Verwey’s family is awaiting the outcome of the pending charges.

Verwey has been described as a compassionate, no-nonsense community leader who worked as a tourism co-ordinator for Portage. She was engaged to be married, with the wedding date set for last month.

Best said 800 people attended her daughter’s funeral in January and another 450 watched the proceedings remotely via an online video stream.

“We have not imploded, which I think can happen pretty regularly,” Best said about how the family is coping.

“The big rock keeps turning, and we all keep saying that and moving forward, but at the end of the day, the sadness isn’t gone, the heaviness is not gone and the anger is not gone. I don’t think a trial or conviction will really help.”

Verwey’s death has led to calls for bail reform, which have been championed by her family and carried by municipal and provincial politicians.

No trial dates have been set for Hilton, and the case could be adjourned until Sept. 9, barring some administrative court appearances in between.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca