May 1, 2013 1 min read

ROCHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Police say a western Pennsylvania man tried to blame his drunken driving on his grandmother. The only problem is, she wasn’t there.

Twenty-two-year-old John Ventresca Jr., of Center Township, faces a preliminary hearing Tuesday on drunken driving and other charges stemming from the incident on March 2.

That’s when Rochester police were called to a convenience store after witnesses saw Ventresca pull into a parking lot, but not before striking other cars and hitting a pole in front of the store.

When police arrived, they say Ventresca told them his grandma had been driving and that she was using the store’s restroom. He explained the erratic driving by saying the woman had a broken shoulder and was taking pain pills.

Police charged Ventresca after finding the woman wasn’t in the rest room — or anywhere else nearby.