HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A 34-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of leaving a stolen car at a Montana dealership and taking a $27,000 pickup truck has pleaded not guilty to felony theft.
Prosecutors say Brian McCarthy arrived at a Helena auto dealership on Aug. 14, telling employees he wanted to trade in a 2005 Ford Focus on a 2008 Dodge Ram pickup truck. Court records say McCarthy drove off in the truck while a salesman was running McCarthy’s credit application.
McCarthy was arrested about a week later in Rogue River, Ore., after he crashed the pickup into a fence. The car had been reported stolen in McCarthy’s home town of Somerset, Pa.
The Independent Record reports District Judge Kathy Seeley maintained McCarthy’s bail at $100,000 during Thursday’s hearing and scheduled a trial for Dec. 6.