A Miami man accused of leading police on a multistate stolen vehicle search with the most valuable red dump truck a Penn Township dealership owned had his local charges withdrawn and is now facing federal charges.

Federal authorities allege Litho Rivas, 40, stole and transported a 2026 Peterbilt Model 589 tri-axle dump truck with an aluminum polish from Hunter Truck on Pittsburgh Road to Richmond County, Virginia around May 28. The truck was worth about $307,000.

Rivas pleaded not guilty July 29 to one felony count of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle. He was arraigned in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania before Judge Arthur J. Schwab, who recused himself the next day. The case was then assigned to Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Maureen P. Kelly on July 29 granted an order to extend the time to file pretrial motions until Sept. 12.

Rivas is represented by Andrew Lipson of the Office of the Federal Public Defender. The attorney prosecuting on behalf of the federal government is Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaun Sweeney.

Rivas was initially charged May 31 in District Judge Jack Ripper’s office with one felony count each of theft and receiving stolen property. He was charged in Richmond County General District Court with felony receiving stolen property.

Rivas had a preliminary hearing scheduled before Ripper on Tuesday, but the charges in Butler County were withdrawn before the hearing. District Attorney Richard Goldinger said the federal government taking custody of Rivas makes it difficult to prosecute him in the time frame required by law.

Rather than leave the case pending, Goldinger said his office withdrew the charges without prejudice so they can be refiled later.

Police said on May 28, Rivas was dropped off by an Uber around 8:30 p.m. across from the Penn Township dealership. Police saw on cameras Rivas walked along the truck line before entering the Peterbilt.

The truck left the scene about an hour later and was seen driving down Route 8 before the vehicle’s tracking devices went offline around 1:10 a.m. The truck was spotted again about an hour later at a Sheetz in Armstrong County, where it stayed for almost 15 hours before leaving for Virginia around 5 a.m. the next day.

The truck was spotted again May 29 in Essex County, Virginia, and Warsaw police took Rivas into custody May 30. About seven police agencies participated in the investigation.

Rivas was initially held in Virginia in Northern Neck Regional Jail before moving to the Allegheny County Jail around July 18. He has since been released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.