ST. MARYS — A teenage Kersey couple is on the outs, with both blaming the other for the alleged theft of a pick-up truck that has them facing criminal charges in St. Marys District Court.
Police reports released last week identified Kyle Meyer, 18, as a suspect in the theft of a pick-up truck reportedly taken from a parking spot near the Corner Market and Deli on Main Street in Kersey overnight on Oct. 1.
Now Meyer and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Maurissa A. Curley of 393 Main St. in Kersey, have been charged with theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief counts stemming from the investigation.
Court documents released with the charges against Curley on Tuesday indicate police were notified the 1997 Dodge Dakota truck belonging to Jonathan Updike had gone missing overnight on Oct. 1.
Nearby surveillance cameras reportedly captured two individuals entering the vehicle and driving off in it through ditches. The truck was reportedly later discovered damaged and abandoned in a field off of Gahr Road in Kersey after striking a tree.
The day the vehicle was reported missing, police contacted Meyer and Curley as part of an unrelated theft investigation. Police said Curley was quick to turn on her alleged partner in crime, telling police she may have information about the stolen truck and eventually fingering Meyer as the thief.
But in speaking with officers, Meyer turned the tables, laying blame for the stolen truck squarely on Curley’s shoulders and casting himself as the unwitting accomplice.
Officers appear to have believed Curley, charging Meyer as the instigator and Curley as a co-conspirator.
After the alleged theft and joyride, Curley said she was scared of Meyer and afraid to call police, claiming he had threatened her before.
She said Meyer told her not to tell anyone or that “she would pay for it,” adding that he later grabbed and yelled at her for “rat(ting) him out” after speaking with police.
Curley is charged with conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking or disposition, a third-degree felony; conspiracy to receive stolen property, a third-degree felony; and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief, a summary offense.
She has been summoned to appear for a preliminary hearing in St. Marys District Court at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 17.
Meyer faces charges for the theft itself, including theft by unlawful taking or disposition, a third-degree felony; receiving stolen property, a third-degree felony; criminal mischief, a summary offense; and driving with a suspended license, a summary offense.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in St. Marys District Court at 1:15 p.m. Oct. 13 and remains confined to Elk County Prison in Ridgway on $5,000 bail, according to online court records.
