Carjacking charges to trial

Two men charged in relation to a brazen daylight carjacking last year at a busy Kamloops gas station will stand trial in B.C. Supreme Court.

Kevin Gordon James, 39, and Ryan Edward Roberts, 33, are facing charges in connection with the Sept. 6, 2023, incident. Both men are charged with robbery, theft of a motor vehicle and wearing a disguise, while James is facing an additional count of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Police were called to the Co-op gas station, 884 Columbia St. West, just before 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2023, after a women reported she was robbed of her car and phone at knifepoint.

At the time, Mounties said they quickly located the vehicle, a black Mazda, and arrested two suspects on G and M Road, just off Highway 5 on the Tk’emlups reserve.

Crown prosecutor Laura Drake described the incident as “a one-off situation based on drug use."

During a brief hearing Wednesday in Kamloops provincial court, both James and Roberts consented to proceed to trial in B.C. Supreme Court.

James is free on bail while Roberts remains behind bars. He is expected to appear in court for a bail hearing on Monday.

Trial dates have not been set.