West Bethlehem notary charged
A West Bethlehem Township woman faces hundreds of charges filed against her Monday by state police after she allegedly failed to file the necessary paperwork with the state Department of Transportation as part of her notary public business.
Connie Jo Smith, 52, of 357 Highland Ridge Road, Marianna, is charged with 203 counts each of failure to make application for certificate of title and violating rules of the motor vehicle code, seven counts of improperly issuing temporary registration plates, six counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, five counts of improperly issuing certificate of title and one count each of tampering with evidence and failure to keep proper records. Police started their investigation in September after learning a transfer for a motorcycle was not done properly.
When police arrived at Smith’s home, which also doubles as her notary office, the trooper reportedly noticed vehicle deals and paperwork scattered throughout the home. When he asked about the paperwork on the motorcycle, he said Smith had to search for it. Police said they learned the owner of the motorcycle was not present at the time of the transfer, and the signature on an affidavit gift form also was not that of the motorcycle owner.
The trooper looked at transfers on the table, countertop and sofa, determining seven were well beyond the time frame for being submitted to the state Department of Transportation. Most of the paperwork was more than a year overdue, police state in court documents.
Police said an audit of her business by PennDOT’s dealer services unit determined that she violated the 20-day requirement to submit vehicle transaction records 196 times within the past three years.
Smith is scheduled for an April 18 preliminary hearing before Thompson.