News writer
Thanks to the help of some online tipsters, police in Maine have arrested a man accused of stealing over $1,000 worth of instant lottery tickets from a convenience store in Monmouth.
Facebook video takes suspect down
On Tuesday, October 15, the Monmouth Police Department posted a video to their Facebook page asking for help in identifying a suspect in the video.
The surveillance footage was from Phil's Super Variety and Grill, a convenience store and restaurant located on U.S. Route 202 in Monmouth.
In the minute-long video, the suspect can be seen behind the counter taking lottery tickets from a dispenser in Phil's Variety. Police said in a press release the incident took place just before 4 a.m. on Tuesday.
Monmouth police officers responded to the scene around 5 a.m. The officers were helped at the scene by the Winthrop Police Department and the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations.
Tipsters spot the suspect
After the video was shared on Facebook, several residents identified the person in the video as 32-year-old Zach Lowe of Winthrop, police said in a news release.
Lowe allegedly broke into Phil's Variety early Tuesday morning by smashing through the glass front door, which is now covered up with plywood.
While inside the store, Lowe allegedly took more than $1,000 worth of lottery tickets, cigarettes, and cash, along with some other small items, police said.
Authorities located Lowe and he was arrested. He was charged with burglary, aggravated criminal mischief, and theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.
All three are Class C felony charges, which each carry maximum sentences of five years and a $5,000 fine, officials said. Lowe was being held at the Kennebec County jail.
Curiosity in a small town
The weekend breakfast cook at Phil's Variety, Alana Floyd, talked to the Kennebec Journal and said the store was able to get most of their belongings back. Floyd has worked at the store/restaurant for 14 years and this is the fourth time they have been burglarized.
Since the burglary took place, Floyd said a lot of community members have been stopping out of interest.
Floyd told the Kennebec Journal:
I'm not going to say business is up, but I feel like, right now, we have plywood on the front door, so people want to come. It's a small town. Curiosity.
No cops needed here
While the police were needed to hunt down and find the burglary suspect above, they weren't needed in another part of Maine, as this Maine Lottery player legally purchased her winning instant tickets!
Rebecca Richards of Dixfield recently purchased a $100,000 Bonus Payout scratch-off ticket for $5, which went on sale on August 1, 2024, and walked away with one of the game's top prizes — $100,000! The odds of winning that top prize are 1 in 300,000. The overall odds of winning any prize in the instant game are 1 in 3.82.
Enjoy playing the Maine Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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