The four men arrested in February at a methamphetamine lab bust north of Stettler appeared in court in Stettler on Thursday, March 24, to speak to their charges.
James Hall and Larry Watson appeared in person, as they had been released on bail, while Victor Foley and Colin Wilford appeared by CCTV from remand.
The four individuals had their matters put over until the next date on April 14 so the remaining lawyer-less individuals could secure counsel, and have the matters dealt with all at once.
Wilford asked the Judge to put a publication ban on matters, but the judge advised Wilford to speak with his counsel to have counsel make an application for such a ban.
Hall, however, dealt with an unrelated traffic act violation, pleading guilty to driving without insurance. He had been charged with uttering threats, driving without insurance, driving without a licence and displaying unauthorized licence plates. While Hall was willing to plead guilty to all of the charges, the Crown withdrew the others in light of his guilty plea to the driving without insurance, which comes with a stiff minimum penalty of nearly $3,000.
Despite a driving record that showed that this was not the first time Hall had been charged with similar offences, the Judge opted to fine Hall the minimum amount.