* Larceny charge against Salahi dismissed

By Ben Orcutt -- borcutt@nvdaily.com

FRONT ROYAL - A petit larceny charge against Tareq Salahi has been dismissed.

Salahi and his wife, Michaele, were the focus of the national media after crashing a White House state dinner Nov. 24.

Salahi, 40, of 440 Scenic Overlook Drive, Front Royal, had been charged with taking the keys to Edward Beal's tow truck when Beal tried to repossess a 2006 Audi A from Salahi's home on Aug. 14, 2008.

Court documents indicate that by agreement of both parties, the case would be continued for further review until Wednesday, at which time, if Salahi had been of good behavior, the class 1 misdemeanor of taking Beal's tow truck keys would be dismissed, which is what Warren County General District Court Judge W. Dale Houff ruled.

Beal says in his criminal complaint form on file in General District Court that when he pulled into the driveway to tow the Audi, the Salahis came out of their house and asked him what was going on and he told them he was repossessing the vehicle for his employer, L & K Recovery of Woodstock.

Beal states that Salahi told his wife to go into the house and get a gun. "Then he took my keys out [of the] truck," Beal says. "I had to run down the driveway [when] she went in the house [to] get the gun."

Beal says he then called 911.

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