SLIPPERY ROCK — An Alabama man is accused of driving 118 mph while impaired on drugs on Interstate 79 near the Mercer-Butler County line.

When Joseph T. Mount, 25, of Luverne finally pulled over Nov. 29, he offered up an excuse for speeding — his friend was hurt and possibly dying.

State police weren’t buying the story, and they ended up arresting him for driving under the influence of a controlled substance, speeding and a list of other charges.

Mount, police said, eventually admitted he was making up the story of his potentially-dying friend.

The defendant, who is free on $10,000 bail, on Wednesday waived his preliminary hearing in the case at the office of District Judge William O’Donnell in Slippery Rock.

A full story appears in Thursday's Butler Eagle.