Police: Pa. man faked mother's obit to get time off

BROOKVILLE, Pa. - Authorities say a Northwestern Pennsylvania man had his mother's obituary published so he could get paid bereavement time off from work. The only problem: His mother wasn't dead.

Relatives called the Jeffersonian Democrat after the obituary appeared to report that the woman was alive and well. The woman herself then visited the paper. Brookville police charged Scott Bennett, 45, with disorderly conduct Tuesday.

Editor Randy Bartley said he accepted the obituary in good faith after being unable to confirm the funeral arrangements by press time. He told the Oil City Derrick on Friday that the woman was very understanding. - AP