P.G. woman jailed for crime spree
Two young lovers with ties to Prince George have now been parked in jail for a 2016 crime spree that stretched from Cranbrook to Oliver.
Michelle Britany Mercier, 21, admitted Monday in Penticton court to helping steal vehicles from three different people – including a mom driving her kids to school – while on a drug binge with co-accused Dillan Andre Cote, 23.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, two breaches of bail and possession of stolen property, and was sentenced to the equivalent of 10 months in jail, which will be followed by 18 months’ probation.
Cote was sentenced in July to six years in prison, but he had 46 prior convictions and was out on parole at the time.
Court heard the two were already on bail for an incident in Prince George when a woman called Cranbrook RCMP early on Dec. 14, 2016, to report they stole her car after she took them into her home the night before.
The car turned up about two hours later in a ditch on Highway 3 near Christina Lake. Before police arrived, a passer-by picked up Mercier and Cote, who later stole his truck when he stopped for fuel in Rock Creek.
Soon after, police in Osoyoos were called to a crash about five kilometres east of that community and found the truck abandoned down a steep slope.
Also at the scene, officers found a woman and her three children standing at the side of the highway.
The mother was taking her kids to school when she stopped to help the crash victims. Cote ordered the family out of the vehicle, then took off in it with Mercier.
They were found later that evening holed up in a trailer in Oliver and arrested following an eight-hour stand-off with police.
Crown counsel Andrew Vandersluys said Cote was the “primary offender” during the spree, but suggested a jail sentence for Mercier in the range of nine months as punishment for preying on the kindness of strangers.
Defence counsel Mandy Cheema countered with a recommendation of a conditional sentence of house arrest, claiming her client was under the influence of drugs and Cote at the time of the offences, and has since turned her life around.
“She’s never been in trouble as a youth or adult – this is a one-off, said Cheema, who noted her client has more recently busied herself with two jobs and a new relationship with a 47-year-old man.
“You say that’s a positive influence?” Judge Koturbash asked Cheema.
“He doesn’t have a criminal history and it seems like it’s working for them, despite the age difference,” replied Cheema.
Mercier apologized in court to her victims, none of whom was present.
“I’m sorry if I’ve made you lose trust and faith in humankind,” she said.
The judge told Mercier her actions will have a “chilling effect” on would-be Good Samaritans who may now think twice before helping others in distress.
“A further aggravating factor,” continued Koturbash, “is the offence (near Osoyoos) was committed in front of three young children. You left them at the side of the highway in December and the impact on them has been severe.”