Cranberry Township auto shop owner held for court
CRANBERRY TWP — The case of an auto repair shop owner accused of putting 5,000 miles on a pickup truck that a customer brought in for an inspection and new tires has moved on to county Common Pleas Court.
A felony charge of theft by unlawful taking and a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle filed by township police against Keith R. Smith, 66, owner of Oilology, were ordered held for court Friday, May 19, in a preliminary hearing by District Judge Kevin Flaherty.
Hearings scheduled for Friday for three similar cases against Smith were continued to June 16.
Previously, he was held for court in two cases containing similar allegations. Vehicles owned by more than 10 of his customers are involved in the six cases that Cranberry Township and state police filed against Smith.
In Friday’s hearing, Mary Zervos of Mars testified she had her 2004 Ford F-350 truck with a little less than 95,000 miles on it taken to Oilology in July 2022 to have it inspected so she could sell it at an auction she was having at her home.
Smith told her the inspection would not be completed in time for the auction, so she had the truck driven back to her home.
