CLAY TWP — A township man is accused of stealing a neighbor’s pickup truck and driving away in it with a 14-year-old neighbor girl.

Keith Kaiser, 19, did not have the mother’s permission when he left with the girl in late July, state police said.

Kaiser faces a hearing next month on nine charges — including four felonies — in the case. He remains free on $30,000 unsecured bail.

Police began their investigation July 30 when a woman called to report her daughter had apparently run away from their home on Queens Junction Road in Clay Township.

The mother suspected her daughter willingly left with Kaiser, who lives nearby on Queens Junction Road, according to court documents.

The woman told police she tried unsuccessfully to call and text Kaiser once she found her daughter missing,

Another neighbor that same day reported the theft of his 1999 Chevrolet Silverado.

The owner admitted he left the truck unlocked with the keys in it overnight, according to court documents.

He discovered the pickup gone in the morning.

While canvassing the neighborhood, police learned “a young male” about 6 a.m. July 30 had been seen walking toward the truck owner’s home, documents said.

Moments later the truck was seen driving away, at least one witness recounted.

The owner told police the truck was unsafe to drive because of bad brakes, something investigators believe Kaiser knew.

Police that same evening spoke to Kaiser by telephone. He denied his involvement in the missing truck.

However, Kaiser’s mother later refuted her son’s claims, and she admitted he and the girl had driven the truck to Cook Forest State Park in Clarion County, documents said.

By the end of the day, police found the girl with the truck on Spring Street in Chicora. She acknowledged she and Kaiser had left together.

Kaiser on Aug. 3 turned himself into authorities. District Judge Lewis Stoughton arraigned him on felony charges of interfering with the custody of a child, concealing the whereabouts of a child, theft and receiving stolen property.

Additionally, Kaiser is charged with child endangerment, corruption of a minor, reckless endangerment and unauthorized use of a vehicle, all misdemeanors.

Police also charged Kaiser with driving without a license.

A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 1 at Stoughton’s office in Chicora.