A Pittsburgh man had illegal drugs in his system and was gunning a stolen truck down a West Mifflin road at 91 mph last month when he crashed and killed another driver, according to a criminal complaint filed in court Thursday.
West Mifflin police charged Keith Scherba Jr., 40, of the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood in the July 11 death of Shelly Hunter, 60, of Whitaker.
Scherba faces 16 counts, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, as well as misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter and DUI.
Online court records Thursday afternoon indicated Scherba was not in police custody.
West Mifflin police did not return phone calls seeking comment.
A witness saw Scherba driving a white Chevrolet pickup on Buttermilk Hollow Road “recklessly, at a high rate of speed, immediately prior to the collision,” according to a criminal complaint.
Police said surveillance footage from a nearby gas station showed Scherba drive the truck into oncoming traffic on Buttermilk Hollow Road, passing two cars on their left.
Scherba then ran a red light at that roadway’s intersection with Lebanon Church Road, the complaint said.
The truck collided with Hunter’s Chevrolet SUV, which was not moving, the complaint said. Police said the force of the hit “propelled” Hunter’s vehicle into a Kia SUV being driven by Kayla Skalski.
Police were dispatched to the scene at 6:33 a.m. Hunter died at the scene eight minutes later.
Police said Skalski broke three ribs and suffered a concussion. She was treated at an area hospital.
Scherba also was injured in the crash. He was rushed to UPMC Mercy hospital, the complaint said. Police said they learned at that time his driver’s license had been suspended for “DUI related” issues.
‘Drinking and partying’
After the collision, Scherba approached Skalski and said, simply, “I hit you,” the complaint said.
Scherba then “made several irrational statements, causing (Skalski) to believe he was under the influence of drugs.”
At the hospital, police said they asked Scherba if he had used drugs.
Scherba replied he had probably taken “a little bit of everything,” according to the complaint. He said he had been “drinking and partying the previous night.”
Police said Scherba also told them he had not taken his prescription medication to treat schizophrenia “for several days.”
When an officer asked Scherba why he was driving so fast, he responded, “Because I’m crazy,” the complaint said.
During the interview, police said, Scherba seemed groggy and lethargic and had bloodshot eyes.
A test that day showed Scherba’s blood contained cannabis, the complaint said.
Police said they also later learned Scherba was involved in a hit-and-run crash earlier that day on the Birmingham Bridge, which spans the Monongahela River and connects Pittsburgh’s South Side and Oakland neighborhoods.
The pickup Scherba was driving, which was towing a trailer, struck victim Eric Wilson Jr.’s vehicle on the bridge, the complaint said. Wilson told police Scherba’s truck caused “significant damage” to the side of his vehicle.
Police said Wilson provided authorities with dash-cam footage from the incident.
After the Pittsburgh crash but before the collision in West Mifflin, Scherba stopped and released the trailer he was towing — at the FBI field office on South Side’s East Carson Street, the complaint said. He told a security worker there “he had stolen the vehicle.”
Victim worked two jobs
Hunter’s family said she left “a legacy of fierce love, tireless hard work and quiet generosity,” according to an obituary online.
Hunter balanced two jobs to provide for her family, the obituary said. She raised three sons and adopted a fourth when he was a teenager.
Hunter’s work ethic was “relentless,” her family said in the obituary. “Yet, no matter how busy or tired she was, Shelly’s door and heart were always open.”
Hunter’s family did not respond Thursday to phone calls seeking comment.
A Munhall funeral home held services for Hunter July 19. She was later buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh.