Tennessee Jackpot Winner Learns of His Prize after Police Investigation
A Tennessee resident found out he had won a $1 million lottery jackpot when detectives informed him that his winning ticket had been stolen.
Tennessee man learns of $1 million lottery win following ticket theft.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, had purchased two winning tickets from a Shell gas station in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release this week.
One ticket was worth $40, while the other held the $1 million prize. According to the authorities, a gas station clerk stole the million-dollar ticket and attempted to claim the prize.
Clerk Caught Discarding Ticket on Surveillance Footage
Surveillance footage reviewed by Tennessee Lottery investigators shows Meet Patel scanning the tickets. The customer had scratched off only the front bar code to check if the tickets were winners and asked Patel to verify them.
Lieutenant Detective Steve Craig explained that it is enough to scratch off just the front bar code to discover if the ticket is a winner or not; however, it will not tell you how much has been won.
Authorities allege that Patel discarded the $1 million ticket into the trash. The video then shows him retrieving the ticket from the trash and pocketing it. He then scratched off the front of the ticket and can be seen celebrating upon discovering it was worth $1 million.
To claim prizes of $200,000 or more, winners must visit the Tennessee Lottery’s headquarters in Nashville. Patel attempted to claim the ticket, but lottery employees were suspicious, according to the news release.
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Patel Arrested and Charged with Theft
Craig explained that Patel went to the Tennessee Lottery Commission and claimed the ticket as his own. However, his answers to standard questions raised a number of red flags and instructed him to return at a later day while they held on to the ticket.
Patel is now in custody at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on charges of theft over $250,000. His bond is set at $100,000, and a hearing is scheduled for July 30.
The sheriff’s office used the video footage to identify the ticket purchaser. Less than a day later, Ward informed the man, a father, of his winnings and told him to claim his prize.
The feel-good side of this story is the father never knew he was the winner until we contacted him. That is absolutely life-changing money.
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