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.<\/p>\n
West Mifflin police charged Keith Scherba Jr., 40, of the city\u2019s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood in the July 11 death of Shelly Hunter, 60, of Whitaker.<\/p>\n
Scherba faces 16 counts, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, as well as misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter and DUI.<\/p>\n
Online court records Thursday afternoon indicated Scherba was not in police custody.<\/p>\n
West Mifflin police did not return phone calls seeking comment.<\/p>\n
A witness saw Scherba driving a white Chevrolet pickup on Buttermilk Hollow Road \u201crecklessly, at a high rate of speed, immediately prior to the collision,\u201d according to a criminal complaint.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Scherba then ran a red light at that roadway\u2019s intersection with Lebanon Church Road, the complaint said.<\/p>\n
The truck collided with Hunter\u2019s Chevrolet SUV, which was not moving, the complaint said. Police said the force of the hit \u201cpropelled\u201d Hunter\u2019s vehicle into a Kia SUV being driven by Kayla Skalski.<\/p>\n
Police were dispatched to the scene at 6:33 a.m. Hunter died at the scene eight minutes later.<\/p>\n
Police said Skalski broke three ribs and suffered a concussion. She was treated at an area hospital.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s license had been suspended for \u201cDUI related\u201d issues.<\/p>\n
\u2018Drinking and partying\u2019<\/p>\n
After the collision, Scherba approached Skalski and said, simply, \u201cI hit you,\u201d the complaint said.<\/p>\n
Scherba then \u201cmade several irrational statements, causing (Skalski) to believe he was under the influence of drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the hospital, police said they asked Scherba if he had used drugs.<\/p>\n
Scherba replied he had probably taken \u201ca little bit of everything,\u201d according to the complaint. He said he had been \u201cdrinking and partying the previous night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police said Scherba also told them he had not taken his prescription medication to treat schizophrenia \u201cfor several days.\u201d<\/p>\n
When an officer asked Scherba why he was driving so fast, he responded, \u201cBecause I\u2019m crazy,\u201d the complaint said.<\/p>\n
During the interview, police said, Scherba seemed groggy and lethargic and had bloodshot eyes.<\/p>\n
A test that day showed Scherba\u2019s blood contained cannabis, the complaint said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s South Side and Oakland neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
The pickup Scherba was driving, which was towing a trailer, struck victim Eric Wilson Jr.\u2019s vehicle on the bridge, the complaint said. Wilson told police Scherba\u2019s truck caused \u201csignificant damage\u201d to the side of his vehicle.<\/p>\n
Police said Wilson provided authorities with dash-cam footage from the incident.<\/p>\n
After the Pittsburgh crash but before the collision in West Mifflin, Scherba stopped and released the trailer he was towing \u2014 at the FBI field office on South Side\u2019s East Carson Street, the complaint said. He told a security worker there \u201che had stolen the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victim worked two jobs<\/p>\n