News writer
A pair of lottery ticket hopefuls turned desperate thieves after their payment method failed. When a YouTube gift card didn't cut it at a Warsaw convenience store, the suspects took matters — and a stack of scratch-offs — into their own hands. What happened next has police across multiple towns connecting the dots.
Payment not accepted
During the afternoon of Sunday, June 22, two suspects entered the Best Mart near Jersey Milke's in Warsaw and tried to use a YouTube gift card to pay for North Carolina Lottery tickets.
The store clerk told them this was not an acceptable form of payment, according to the Warsaw Police Department. The suspects then allegedly reached over the counter, grabbed multiple lottery tickets, and then fled the store on foot.
Once outside the store, the suspects were seen running toward the Jersey Mike's. They then jumped into the backseat of a waiting vehicle and fled the scene.
Now, a multi-agency investigation
While the Warsaw Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying the suspects seen in the surveillance footage, it looks like they are not working alone in this investigation.
The same suspects seen in the surveillance video at Best Mart in Warsaw are believed to be involved in similar thefts from gas stations in neighboring towns. After stealing the tickets, the suspects are reportedly driving to other locations to cash them in.
Because of these other possible thefts, it has turned into a multi-agency investigation. Authorities said they have notified the North Carolina Education Lottery Commission and they are actively investigating the matter with law enforcement.
If you happen to have any information regarding the identity of these individuals, you are being asked to contact the Warsaw Police Department at 910-293-7816.
No YouTube gift card here
Daniel Allison didn't need a YouTube gift card to buy his $1 Cash 5 ticket, but he is now able to buy quite a few of those gift cards after winning a $512,111 jackpot.
The Hillsborough man bought his jackpot-winning ticket online for the June 17 drawing. His ticket matched all five of the winning numbers that night — 1, 14, 16, 21, and 33 — to win the jackpot.
Allison recently made his way to lottery headquarters to claim his prize. After the required federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $367,448.
The odds of winning the Cash 5 jackpot in North Carolina are 1 in 962,598.
The recent five-ball draw game-winning trend
This Cash 5 win in North Carolina highlights a recent trend of some big wins for players of in-state draw games where the game features five winning numbers. In addition to this $512,111 jackpot win in North Carolina, lottery players saw three players in three different states win five-ball games on Thursday, June 19.
Those wins featured a $472,388 jackpot win for a Jersey Cash 5 player, a $250,000 jackpot win for a Nebraska Pick 5 player, and a $180,000 jackpot win for a Palmetto Cash 5 player in South Carolina.
That winning continued into the weekend with six more jackpot wins, including a $792,972 jackpot win in the Cash 5 with Quick Cash draw game in Pennsylvania.
Enjoy playing the North Carolina Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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