News writer
A quiet morning in Connecticut recently took a chaotic turn when an alarm at a local store signaled trouble. By the time police arrived at the store in Waterbury, the culprit had already vanished, leaving behind shattered glass and making off with a peculiar prize — non-activated Connecticut Lottery tickets.
However, the story didn't end there. Later that same morning, an unexpected twist led authorities to a man whose luck had clearly run out.
Early morning break-in
Around 4:45 a.m. ET on January 3, 2025, officers from the Waterbury Police Department responded to a report of an alarm going off at Winner's, located at 155 Thomaston Avenue in Waterbury.
Once at the sportsbook location, police confirmed that a burglary had occurred. Authorities said a male suspect used a rock to break the store's glass and gain entry into the building.
However, the suspect was able to flee the scene on foot before police arrived, but not before he allegedly took non-activated lottery tickets.
What are non-activated lottery tickets?
Before any scratch-off lottery tickets make their way into a kiosk or ticket holder at a lottery retailer, the pack of tickets has to be activated. The tickets arrive at lottery retailers unactivated and must be activated before they are put out for sale.
This is done to prevent situations like the one mentioned above. A person is unable to steal a whole book of tickets and then turn around and try to cash in the winners. If the tickets are non-activated, the winning tickets from that book cannot be redeemed for cash.
A quick arrest
Authorities wasted no time in making an arrest in this theft case. Later that morning, around 10:00 a.m. ET on January 3, members of the Gang Task Force and the State Police Violent Crimes Task Force were conducting a separate investigation when they observed a man matching the description of the robbery suspect from Winner's.
Police identified the suspect as Aric McCray, 53, of New Haven. He was then taken into custody and initially charged with trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia, officials said.
Upon further investigation, police said McCray was also charged with third-degree burglary, sixth-degree larceny, and third-degree criminal mischief. He remains in custody of the Connecticut Department of Corrections and is being held on a $110,000 bond.
This isn't McCray's first run-in with the law, as he has a history of burglary arrests and convictions and he currently has six pending cases in New Haven.
Activated and winning
The Connecticut Lottery recently announced that it is continuing its partnership with the University of Connecticut Division of Athletics. With that partnership, the Lottery announced they would be launching a new $5 scratch-off ticket called UConn Championship Cash.
This $5 ticket has more than $3.5 million in total cash prizes and three top prizes of $50,000. Players will also have the opportunity to win tickets to attend select men's and women's basketball games through social media, TV, and radio promotions.
One lucky player wasted no time taking home one of those top prizes, either. The tickets were activated and ready for purchase, and lottery officials said Nicole had tried her luck and won $50,000. She told lottery officials she beat cancer last year, so she was excited to kick off 2025 with a big win that left her feeling blessed.
Enjoy playing the North Carolina Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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