Maserati eludes him; he eludes police

His speed may not have rivaled the Maserati Quattroporte he is accused of trying to buy fraudulently; however, a Montgomery County man who fled a car dealership is being sought by police.

West Whiteland Township Police charged Gabriel Matthews, 22, of North Wales, with criminal attempt theft by deception, bad checks and access device fraud and have been unable to locate him.

Police said Matthews went into the Car Connections USA dealership in West Whiteland Township on Dec. 13 and stated that he was interested in purchasing a 2007 Maserati Quattroporte and wanted to pay by check. When the paperwork was completed, he wrote two checks for the $60,616.50 high-performance vehicle, police said. The dealer called Matthews' bank to verify that the amount would be covered and learned that the account had been closed. Matthews indicated that he would come back with a different form of payment and never returned, police said.

An investigation confirmed that Matthews' bank account had been closed and never contained enough money to cover the cost of the car, police said. A warrant has been issued for Matthews, and an investigation is continuing to determine whether Matthews attempted to purchase other vehicles by fraud, police said.