A 47-year-old Kalispell man made a scene in Flathead District Court on Thursday after pleading not guilty to a trio of felony drug charges.

James Gonzales already was facing felony counts of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon for allegedly shooting at his 23-year-old son with a shotgun, striking him in the face with either pellets from the shotgun, a ricochet or rocks thrown up from the ground.

In a separate case, he pleaded not guilty Thursday to three felony counts of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs after allegedly selling .03 grams of heroin, 25 oxycodone pills and five narcotic painkiller patches to a confidential informant between June 14 and July 17, 2012.

In addition, a court document states that Gonzales has prior convictions for burglary, theft and robbery “in which he has spent a significant amount of time incarcerated in state penitentiaries in Washington and Montana.”

Gonzales imparted a few choice words about his attorney, Lane Bennett, to District Judge David Ortley as Gonzales was being led from the courtroom.

“I want a new lawyer too, this guy’s a piece of [expletive],” Gonzales said. “I’ll represent myself if nothing else.”

Bennett later explained that Gonzales was upset that he did not block a continuance filed by the prosecution.

If convicted of the new charges, Gonzales faces between two years and three life terms in prison and a fine of up to $150,000. His charges in the shooting case could carry a penalty of up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

His next hearings are scheduled for March 6.

 Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.