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City man arrested on larceny charges

ELKINS – An Elkins man was arrested after allegedly stealing a 2001 Ford Mustang reportedly worth more than $5,000, according to West Virginia State Police officials.

Gary David Smith, 35, was charged with one count of grand larceny, a felony, after Sgt. J.M. Menendez of the Elkins detachment, noticed a silver Ford Mustang convertible parked with an expired registration plate at the Speedway in Elkins on Feb. 15.

Menendez, who wrote the criminal complaint, discovered that the individual who had driven the vehicle to Speedway was identified as Smith.

An individual told Menendez that Smith had “purchased the vehicle from a woman from Clarksburg” and the same woman had driven to Speedway to meet them, according to the criminal complaint.

He said Smith had paid the woman and she left in another vehicle. Menendez asked the individual where Smith was located, and he told him that he “had been inside Speedway when (Menendez) had pulled up,” but that as soon as he saw Menendez talking to another individual on scene, “he took off walking.”

According to Menendez, he walked into Speedway to speak with the manager, who told him that she wanted the vehicle removed from her lot. The manager also identified Smith as the driver, Menendez wrote.

Shortly after the tow truck arrived to get the vehicle, the owner of the showed up and identified himself as Dustin Isner, according to the criminal complaint. Isner provided the title for the vehicle to Menendez.

Menendez wrote that Isner began to explain the situation to him. Isner said Smith had been at his residence a few days before, and he suspected Smith was taking his car while he was at work. He also said his keys were missing and suspected that Smith had stolen them.

Menendez and Isner watched the surveillance footage recorded at Speedway and Isner was able to identify Smith as the driver of the vehicle.

Menendez looked up the value of the vehicle on the Kelley Blue Book website and found the car to be valued at $5,034.

Smith was arraigned by Randolph County Magistrate Rob Elbon and is being held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $10,000 cash or surety bond.

Contact Chad Clem by email at cclem@theintermountain.com.

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