BILLINGS, Mont. -- A hitchhiker from West Virginia who authorities said falsely claimed to be the victim of a drive-by shooting is due in a Montana courtroom today where he is expected to plead guilty.

Ray Dolin of Julian, W.Va., is charged with tampering with evidence, making a false report and obstructing a peace officer.

Authorities say the photographer shot himself in the arm in northeast Montana near Glasgow to gain publicity for a planned memoir about kindness in America.

A Washington state man was jailed in the shooting before Dolin allegedly confessed while being treated in a Veterans Affairs hospital.

The case is before state District Judge John McKeon in Valley County.