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Pa. man fakes mom's obit to get time off

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posted on Dec, 9 2011 @ 09:27 PM
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I saw this one listed under "Weird News" and tried to look up more info on it but, the more I look into it, the more its starting to look like a fake news story.


Police: Pa. man fakes mom's obit to get time off

Authorities in northwestern Pennsylvania say a man published an obituary for his living mother in a ploy to get paid bereavement time off from work.

Relatives called The Jeffersonian Democrat newspaper in Brookville after the obit appeared to report the woman was actually alive and well. The woman herself then visited the paper.

Brookville police charged 45-year-old Scott Bennett on Tuesday with disorderly conduct.

Democrat editor Randy Bartley says he accepted the obituary in good faith after being unable to confirm the funeral arrangements at press time. He told The Derrick newspaper on Friday that the woman was very understanding.

Police Chief Ken Dworek says Bennett wrote up the memorial notice because he didn't want to get fired for taking time off.

The Associated Press couldn't reach Bennett.

Phillyburbs.com

Its a generic AP story with no real details. I did confirm that Randy Bartley is an editor of the The Jeffersonian Democrat and Ken Dworek is the name of the police chief in this town but, strangely enough, this story isn't covered at all in the local newspaper.

Sure, this is only an arrest for disorderly conduct (the equivilant of a traffic ticket in Pa) but, if you look at the other headlines in this sleepy little town, you will see that not much else is going on around there that could be considered newsworthy:

Brookville Superintendent provides 'state-of-the-district'
No tax increase in Brookville
Rabid Raccoon in Jefferson County

I did find an obituary for an Eleanor Jean Bennett but, it doesn't list Scott Bennett as one of the next of kin.

The only source for this story is a The Derrick.com story named "The undead herself walked in" which you can only view if you buy a very expensive subscription (min $29 for 3 months
).

Something tells me this whole story is a load of BS. I think someone is trying to create a new urban legend.


edit on 12/9/11 by FortAnthem because:



posted on Dec, 9 2011 @ 09:43 PM
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Oh, I don't know... I looked at this a bit and I don't see why it couldn't be true. There was a time I'd wonder what someone would be thinking to do such a thing but no more. A casual look across Drudge Report each day has headlines that would have made unbelievable Hollywood movie scenes just a few years ago. This almost seem kinda cute by comparison.

I'll just bet someone isn't invited to Christmas at Mom's this year though...and oh, that last will thing? lol..



posted on Dec, 9 2011 @ 10:00 PM
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reply to post by Wrabbit2000
 


Sure, this story is plausible enough, especially considering the stuff we read here on ATS everyday, but that's what an urban legend is; a story that really could happen in the real world with just enough details to make it sound real. I've seen plenty of classic urban legends presented in the MSM as real news stories. Even the big boys get burned when they forget to do their fact checking on a hot story.

I was going to post this story in the "Social Issues" forum but, the more I looked into it, the more I became convinced it was bogus. If the local newspaper that ran the obit doesn't bother to cover the story or even have a retraction for the fake obit, it probably never happened.

When it comes out in a few days that the AP got pranked on this one, remember, you heard it here first.



posted on Dec, 9 2011 @ 10:10 PM
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reply to post by FortAnthem
 

I certainly will remember it and congratulations in advance if you're proven right. You made one heck of a good catch if it is proven out. You're right about the Urban Legend thing.. I still get confused sometimes on which are or are not based on fact when a show comes up showing some.



posted on Dec, 9 2011 @ 10:15 PM
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reply to post by Wrabbit2000
 


I keep this book next to my toilet at all times:

Urban Legends: 666 Absolutely True Stories That Happened to a Friend...of a Friend...of a Friend

They're perfect for toilet reading. They're short enough to read in one sitting and highly addictive.




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