Suspects in Merritt crime spree charged

Dec 1, 2015 | 9:11 AM

KAMLOOPS — The two people charged after a lengthy crime spree that ended in Merritt last week made a brief court appearance yesterday.

Cory Battilana and Samantha Vleeming face a series of charges, including Assault with a Weapon and Assault Causing Bodily Harm.

Merritt RCMP say a man picked up a couple stranded on Highway 97C Thursday morning.

The couple then led the Good Samaritan to a rural location near Merritt, where they tried to take the man’s car, beating him up in the process.

The carjacking wasn’t successful and the couple fled on foot to a nearby ranch, where the rancher called them a cab to the Road Runner Motel in Merritt.

That’s where officers arrested the woman and after a five-hour standoff took the man into custody.

Vleeming has a bail hearing scheduled for December 10th, with Battilana’s hearing set for December 14th.