An area woman told Rostraver police that after she thought she bought a new car, making a down payment and trading in her 2010 Honda Civic, she learned last month her salesman kept the $500 and was still driving her car.
This week, the car salesman at C. Harper Ford, Brandon D. Weekley, 30, of Penn Hills, was charged with deceptive business practices, theft and unauthorized use of a vehicle, according to court documents.
The woman provided police with a receipt for $500 Weekley wrote her after he received her down payment at the Rostraver dealership where he worked on July 29, Officer Joseph Spinola said in court documents filed before District Judge Charles Christner. She also told police she gave Weekley the keys to her Civic as part of the down payment and was given a temporary “loaner” car while her new vehicle was supposedly on order.
On Aug. 6, the woman told Spinola she received a phone call from Weekley saying he had been “pulled over” and ticketed in Whitehall while driving her car.
“(She) said she never gave Weekley permission to use her vehicle,” Spinola wrote.
When she checked with C. Harper about the status of her purchase on Aug. 11, Spinola reported C. Harper officials called police.
The woman told police that Weekley put more than 1,000 miles on her vehicle during the period.
When questioned by police, Weekley admitted providing a receipt to the woman but claimed he never received any cash, Spinola reported. According to court documents, Weekley also maintains he had permission to drive her car.
An official with the car dealership said Tuesday no one could comment because of the investigation but noted they are cooperating with police.
Weekley could not be reached for comment. He did not have an attorney listed in the court docket.
According to online court dockets, Weekley pleaded guilty in August 2019 to receiving stolen property and theft in Allegheny County in connection with a complaint filed by Findlay police and was sentenced to three years probation. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to a theft by deception complaint filed by Monroeville police and was placed on two years probation and ordered to pay Firestone Tires in Monroeville $1,441 in restitution, according to court dockets.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled Oct. 5. Weekley was served the complaint via mailed summons, according to court dockets.
