Authorities say a Tennessee father had no idea he’d won a $1 million jackpot until detectives told him his lottery tickets had been stolen.
The lucky dad recently bought two scratch-off lottery tickets at a Shell gas station in Murfreesboro, and he reportedly asked the clerk to check if the $20 diamond and gold tickets were winning tickets.
“The heartwarming part of this story is [Antioch father] “We didn’t know he was a winner until we reached out. It’s just life-changing money.”
The clerk, identified by authorities as 23-year-old Meet Patel, allegedly told the father that one ticket had won $40 but the other had not.
Detective Steve Craig WTVF Television The ticket that the father was told was not a winner was placed “on top of a trash can.” Later, when the father left the store, Patel “carries that trash outside and we follow him on camera and we see him grab the ticket and put it in his pocket,” Craig said.
However, the “losing” ticket was actually the winning ticket for $1 million, and Patel allegedly tried to claim the prize.
“He went to the lottery commission to claim the ticket as his own, but there were red flags so they put a hold on the ticket,” Craig said.
Tennessee Lottery officials reviewed security camera footage from the Shell gas station and determined the winning ticket was stolen.
Detective Dennis Ward NBC News“Patel is then seen on video scratching the face of the ticket, discovering it was a $1 million prize, and celebrating inside the store.”
“This is pretty clear. If you put it in front of 12 jurors, they’re going to come to the same conclusion,” Craig explained.
Patel is being held in the Rutherford County Jail on $100,000 bail after his arrest, and is scheduled to appear in court on July 30.
Craig AddedThe heartwarming part of this story is [Antioch father] I didn’t know he was a winner until I got in touch with him. This is truly life-changing money.”
The father asked that his identity not be revealed.
Craig offered this advice to lottery buyers: “Just scratch off the barcode on the front and you’ll know if you’ve won, whether or not you scratch off the entire amount.”
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