A convicted burglar who disappeared from the house arrest program said he wasn’t trying to escape the program, but rather avoid a drug test.

“I suffer from the disease of addiction,” 22-year-old Justin R. Hilliard told Butler County Judge William Shaffer during Tuesday’s sentencing court.

Hilliard pleaded guilty to one count of escape, and was sentenced to serve 9 to 16 months in the Butler County Prison, followed by 3 years probation. He also must pay $100 to the office of Butler County Adult Probation for damage caused to the ankle monitoring device he had been wearing when, on June 26, he left his workplace in Evans City and did not return to his home in Prospect.

Court records showed that the defendant served four months in the Butler County Prison in connection with three 2009 burglaries in Prospect and Franklin Township and a 2011 theft in Worth Township. He was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device while on house arrest following his release from prison March 14.

Hilliard during sentencing court said he suffers an addiction to heroin and knew that when tested, his urine would come back “dirty.” Hilliard told the judge that he’s “not a bad person,” he just makes bad decisions. “I realize I’m not hurting anybody but myself and my family,” he said.