Sentencing delayed again for man convicted of child luring

Sentencing has once again been delayed for a Medicine Hat man who pled guilty to child luring earlier this year.

The adjournment was begrudgingly granted Tuesday by a judge at the Medicine Hat courthouse, as Aaron Curtis Diaz had only obtained legal counsel for sentencing a day prior.

The charges against Diaz stem from June of 2016 on multiple counts of sexual assault and child luring following an investigation by both Redcliff RCMP and the Medicine Hat Police Service. In total, there is alleged to have been three female teenage victims.

Diaz, 37 at the time, was granted release from custody, but denied legal aid. At a hearing in February, the court ordered a lawyer be appointed for the trials, which Diaz wanted to run on the charges.

In June of this year, some of those charges were resolved during what was supposed to be a preliminary hearing — with two counts of sexual counsel of a minor and two counts of luring a minor withdrawn, and a restrictive peace bond being entered into instead.

At a separate preliminary hearing, Diaz entered a guilty plea to one count of child luring.

At that time, Judge Darwin Greaves granted an adjournment until sentencing to give Diaz a chance to get his affairs in order.

When this date came around, Diaz told the court he wanted a lawyer — the appointed one had only been for the trials — and Judge Darwin Greaves ordered Diaz be taken into custody, adjourning the sentencing date to Nov. 21.

On Tuesday, another adjournment was granted as legal counsel had only been officially obtained the previous date.

Sentencing is now set for Dec. 13.