Pittsburgh man charged with auto theft

AUSTINTOWN — A Pittsburgh man has been charged with auto theft, forgery and passing bad checks after Greenwood Chevrolet on Mahoning Avenue reported that the man used an altered money order to buy a car.

Police charged Daniel R. Shontz, 48, with the felony offenses Wednesday. The car dealership reported that Shontz bought a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Feb. 15 using a $10,000 money order from First Commonwealth Bank.

But on Wednesday, the dealership learned that the money order had been altered and should have read $1,000, not $10,000, a police report said. The bank said it would not honor the money order.

Police later learned that Shontz was in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh. The Jeep has not been found.