Greensburg man's alleged attempt to avoid taxi fare ends in ride to jail

A Greensburg man’s alleged attempt to stiff a taxi driver out of an $89 fare instead got him a ride to the Westmoreland County Prison on Wednesday.

Keith T. Hohman, 29, was charged by city police with theft of services because a cab driver reported Hohman ran out on a cab fare June 11. The driver told police he drove Hohman from a McDonald’s in Bethel Park to a residence on Menoher Way in Greensburg at 7:24 p.m.

Hohman told the driver that he needed to run inside his apartment to retrieve some cash to pay his bill.

“Hohman advised (the driver) he would leave his wallet as a show of good faith,” patrolman Kenneth Burke reported in court documents.

Burke said that the cab driver waited more than 10 minutes before realizing Hohman was not returning. He contacted police and turned over the wallet.

Inside was an identification card with Hohman’s photograph. Burke reported that Hohman now lives in an apartment blocks away on East Otterman Street.

The incident did not amuse District Judge Chris Flanigan when Hohman was picked up on arrest warrants Wednesday, according to court records. Flanigan ordered Hohman held in the county jail without bond because of a number of pending cases against him in both Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.

Hohman is wanted on simple assault and harassment allegations in the alleged striking of a woman at 3 a.m. June 14 outside her home on West Fourth Street, Greensburg. Burke reported in that case that the woman claims Hohman hit her because he was angry over posts she made about him on social media.

Hohman also is wanted by North Huntingdon police in the theft of a 55-inch television valued at $500 from Target in North Huntingdon on May 23.

Online records indicate Hohman is wanted on warrants filed by Upper St. Clair police in a retail theft on June 11 and accusations of fleeing and eluding police, escape, driving on a suspended license and making false reports in a separate incident June 12.

No further details were immediately available from police on those incidents.

Flanigan scheduled preliminary hearings on the Greensburg cases for June 27.