Car dealership owner accused of selling unsafe vehicles appears in court

SHARPSBURG, Pa. — A man accused of selling unsafe cars faced a judge for the first time on Thursday.

Jaison Kelly, the former owner of JK Motors in Sharpsburg, is facing accusations from more than a dozen people.

Heather Ernst bought a used car from JK Motors in 2021, which used to be located in Sharpsburg until it was shut down. She was really excited about it but two days later, there were many issues.

“It started making a lot of noises my dashboard lit up with lights. It was constantly breaking down I ended up taking it to several mechanics and got statements from them, but the car was just junk,” said alleged victim Heather Ernst.

When she bought it, she said Kelly told her it was good to go, inspected and had a warranty but that turned out not to be true.

She said Kelly is a liar and a fraud and wants justice.

She said she was the first victim to reach out to the attorney general and in 2022, she was one of 14 victims that sued Kelly. The AG’s office charged him with selling faulty cars and failing to disclose serious problems.

“It was so stressful I lost sleep over it I was paying a car payment on a car I couldn’t utilize,” said Ernst.

State Police filed new charges against Kelly earlier this month after several victims came forward saying they bought a used car from him but never got the paperwork for the car, no title or registration.

Kelly had a preliminary hearing and his attorney said they had no comment.

Ernst was at court because she wanted to make sure he is held accountable. She also said Kelly made her sign paperwork so she wouldn’t expose him.

“He made me sign a piece of paper stating I would not bash him or his business on social media,” said Ernst. “He’s not an honest businessman. He’s ripping people off. He’s lying it’s fraud something needs to be done.”

Kelly waived his preliminary hearing. State police said they are working with the AG’s office on these new charges. Police said the victims are working with PennDOT and are starting to finally get the paperwork for their cars.

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