Anne Tenna
Resident Grandmother

Vittorio Vincent Valdez, 27, pleaded not guilty to beating his 82-year-old grandmother for driving too slowly.

Vittorio Vincent Valdez, a 27-year-old Half Moon Bay, CA man, appeared in court for allegedly beating his grandmother for driving too slowly.

According to the San Mateo County district attorney’s office, Valdez’s 82-year-old, 105-pound grandmother was driving him from Palo Alto to Half Moon Bay in her BMW on Sept. 24.Turns out he needed the ride because his license had been suspended due to a citation for driving under the influence.

Shortly after reaching Half Moon Bay, Valdez allegedly started pounding on the dashboard and pushing his grandmother’s right leg down to get her to speed up.

When his grandmother pulled into a gas station, Valdez allegedly pulled her out of the driver’s seat and threw her into the passenger seat. When she tried to leave, he punched her in the face several times, the district attorney said.

As a witness at a nearby 7-Eleven called police, Valdez sped off on Highway 92 while holding down his grandmother in the passenger seat, authorities said.

Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Marty spotted the car and began following it. Through the rear window, he said, he saw Valdez grab his grandmother’s hair and slam her head against the passenger-side window.

When Marty pulled them over, the grandmother jumped out, screaming for help, while her grandson tried to run, authorities said. He stopped when ordered by Marty, and a subsequent search turned up 0.05 grams of heroin in the car’s center console, authorities said.

The grandmother refused medical attention and told Marty that her grandson hadn’t hit her. Despite her pleas, Valdez was arrested.

Valdez pleaded not guilty to charges of elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, false imprisonment with violence, kidnapping, possession of a controlled substance, driving on a suspended license and contempt of court for disobeying a court order to not drive on a suspended license.

The case was set for a jury trial on Dec. 5.

Goodness, where do I even begin with this one? First of all, how was this ingrate raised–imposing on his grandmother to chauffer him around and then abusing her for not driving fast enough for him? Monstrous!

It seems quite apparent that this young man has a number of problems, but that’s never an excuse to take it out on an old lady. He clearly needs help, and like a trooper, she’s trying to assist him as much as she can. She even tried to deny the beating! It’s too late to give this brat a good spanking, but a little jail time might help him to see the consequences.