A court case was deferred today for a 71-year-old Maple Ridge landlord charged with attempting to have someone killed.

Jagdev (Jack) Singh Athwal was charged recently with counselling to commit murder. The case has been put over until Thursday, Aug. 30 to fix a date for an arraignment hearing.

Among his local real-estate holdings Athwal owns six units in Gordon Tower, an apartment building at the corner of 222nd Street and Dewdney Trunk Road, which is at the core of this investigation.

The charges stem from an investigation that was conducted this summer that included canvassing Gordon Tower for several hours, according to Ridge Meadows RCMP Insp. Dave Fleugel.

“This is quite a unique case that involves serious allegations against Mr. Athwal,” Fleugel said.

“The investigation uncovered evidence that led to charges surrounding a disturbing threat of a serious criminal nature.”

Athwal owned the majority of the units at the notorious Northumberland Court on Fraser Street in downtown Maple Ridge, which was sold two years ago and torn down for redevelopment last year.

One of his adversaries during a battle over Northumberland Court was Tyler Ducharme.

Ducharme said he is not surprised by Athwal’s arrest.

“This is a guy who once threatened to hit me with a bat, so I’m not surprised when word got around Haney that he was in trouble again. I don’t put it past him,” he said.

Athwal was released last week from custody with conditions, which include not contacting a number of local citizens and not going within a two-block radius of Gordon Tower.

They also included not possessing firearms, imitation firearms, or explosives of any kind, according to police.

“As in all cases where an accused is released under strict court ordered conditions, Ridge Meadows RCMP officers will be watching for any violations of the order,” Fleugel said. “Our primary goal is to ensure public safety and the safety of the victims and witnesses in this case.”