News & Politics - Ohio Woman Claims She Lost Winning Ticket

mcdreamylover · 01-05-2004, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Ohio Woman Claims She Lost Winning Ticket
1 hour, 14 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!

CLEVELAND - A woman has told police she picked the winning numbers for the $162 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot but lost the ticket before the drawing, according to a police report.

Elecia Battle, of Cleveland, told police she dropped her purse as she left the Quick Shop Food Mart last week after buying the ticket. She said she realized after the drawing last Tuesday that the ticket was missing.

The Ohio Lottery said that the winning ticket was sold at the store in South Euclid, about 15 miles east of Cleveland.

Battle, 40, would not talk about the specifics of when she bought the ticket, how she lost it or even if she was a regular lottery player. She planned a news conference Tuesday to announce a reward.

"I'm praying that someone finds the ticket, brings it forward and gets rewarded and from there we all live happily ever after," said Battle, who cried as she talked to The Associated Press.

She and her husband have seven children, some from previous marriages.

"To have something in your hand and have it slip out is a tough thing to swallow," said Jimmy Battle, who has two jobs, including a newspaper route.

After news of Battle's police report spread Monday night, several people wielding flashlights walked through snow and braved frigid temperatures to try to find the ticket in the store parking lot.

"I decided to come back to see if I could find the winning ticket," said LaVerne Coleman, 57, who says she would keep the winnings if she found the ticket.

Police say Battle was in tears when she came to the station Friday to file the report and did not hesitate when asked to write down the winning numbers.

"We don't believe that she's fabricating it, but there's no real way of knowing other than going on her word," Lt. Kevin Nieter told Cleveland's WEWS-TV on Monday.

Nieter said information Battle knew about when the ticket was bought and how the numbers were picked make her story credible. She told police that the numbers � 12, 18, 21, 32 and 46 and Mega Ball 49 � represented family birthdays and ages.

The winning ticket was sold to someone who chose the numbers, not someone who let the machine pick.

Nieter said Elecia Battle may be out of luck if someone else picked up the lone winning ticket.

"Whoever has the ticket has the right to stake the claim to the winning jackpot. You can file all the police reports you want but it's not going to help," he said.

If no one picked up the ticket from the store parking lot, it was likely destroyed in wet, snowy weather, police said.

Messages left with the police department seeking comment Monday were not immediately returned.

According to the police report, officers tried to see if Battle showed up on the store's surveillance cameras but the store owner said the cameras were broken.

Ohio Lottery spokeswoman Mardele Cohen said that if someone else came in with the ticket, Battle could try to get a temporary restraining order in court to block the winnings from being paid.

If the jackpot isn't claimed by June 27, it goes to Ohio and 10 other states that participate in the game.

I would hate to be her right now. I hope she finds it.

mh67511 · 01-06-2004, 09:32 AM

Just read that a ticket has been turned in! They wont say if it is her or not.

Cantbehrit · 01-06-2004, 09:51 AM

I hope that the person (if its been found) does return it to her.

What a sickening feeling, I read this last night on CNN.com and felt so sorry for her. I couldn't imagine the feeling of seeing your numbers (that you picked) hit and then not being able to find the ticket.

It sucks to lose money, have it fall out of your pocket or whatever. I couldn't imaging "losing" 162 million dollars.

Cantbehrit [img]smilies/star.gif[/img]

Cantbehrit · 01-06-2004, 12:44 PM

You know what...it looks like the first woman is infact lying about the ticket. There was only one winning ticket (which of course the machines can tell) and the lady who turned in the ticket today also produced a receipt of other purchases the same time the ticket was sold.

This is from iWon

Quote:

<STRONG>Woman Wins $162M Mega Millions Jackpot

CLEVELAND (AP) - A woman turned in the winning $162 million Mega Millions lottery ticket Tuesday, saying she came forward sooner than planned because she was angered by another woman's claim that she bought the ticket and lost it.

Rebecca Jemison, a hospital worker from South Euclid, turned in the ticket for the 11-state jackpot at Ohio Lottery headquarters, officials said. The lottery validated it Tuesday morning as the sole winning ticket for the Dec. 30 drawing.

"I think I checked it about five or six times to make sure to see was it real," Jemison said at a news conference at lottery headquarters.

She said she told her mother even before telling her husband. "Being a mama's girl I wanted to share the news with my mama first," she said.

She also talked to an attorney and an accountant before turning in the ticket.

Jemison took the immediate cash payment option, which is $94 million before taxes. After taxes, the lump sum payment is an estimated $67.2 million. She and her husband said their only definite plan is to relocate.

In the meantime, "I haven't had any sleep so hopefully when everything dies down I can get a, definitely a good night's rest."

She was accompanied by her husband, Sam. They have a 12-year-old daughter.

Earlier, a Cleveland woman, Elecia Battle, 40, had filed a police report saying she lost the ticket last week. Police said her story was credible, but lottery officials said whoever turns in a valid ticket is legally entitled to the winnings.

Jemison said she was not worried about Battle's claim because she knew she had a valid ticket.

"First of all I want to clear up a few things that have come out in the press. One of them is that I've been playing these numbers for about two years," she said.

Ohio Lottery Director Dennis Kennedy said officials were sure that Jemison is the rightful owner of the ticket, saying she provided a receipt from the convenience store marking the time the ticket was sold.

Kennedy said he would let police handle Battle's claim.

Jemison said Battle's story motivated her to turn in the ticket.

"I was angry at first but not worried at all," Jemison said. "I knew what I possessed."

Battle's lawyer, Sheldon Starke, did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the lottery's announcement. He had said Battle intended to make a case that the winning ticket was lost property.

Battle told police that the numbers - 12, 18, 21, 32 and 46 and Mega Ball 49 - represented family birthdays and ages.

Jemison said she picked the numbers at random and only played them for large jackpots.

South Euclid police Lt. Kevin Nietert said he had not been able to reach Battle and her attorney by phone.

He said that if it was later determined there was a lack of truthfulness, police could consider criminal charges. The charge could be filing a false police report, a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, he said.

The biggest single-ticket winner in the world is Jack Whittaker Jr. of West Virginia. He won a $314.9 million jackpot in Powerball in December 2002.</STRONG>

Cantbehrit [img]smilies/star.gif[/img]

[ 01-06-2004: Message edited Cantbehrit ]

~*Johanna*~ · 01-06-2004, 09:11 PM

WOW. That's sure a huge mess. I'm not all for the lotto. It's cool if someone wins lots of money if they need it, but sometimes very wealthy people do. It just seems like such a gamble (well, I suppose it is, isn't it?) with money that could be set aside for other things, like helping the less fortunate.

I'm not up on everything politically, but that's just my simple opinion. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

migamoo · 01-06-2004, 10:01 PM

the only thing i'm pissed about is that i got two of the regular numbers, but not the maga-ball so i didnt win anything. ruined my day.

but yeah, this is such a mess and hopefully resolved.

ashley

mh67511 · 01-06-2004, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ~*Johanna*~:
<STRONG>WOW. That's sure a huge mess. I'm not all for the lotto. It's cool if someone wins lots of money if they need it, but sometimes very wealthy people do. It just seems like such a gamble (well, I suppose it is, isn't it?) with money that could be set aside for other things, like helping the less fortunate.

I'm not up on everything politically, but that's just my simple opinion. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]</STRONG>

Well it would be nice if the money was given to charity, but at least a lot of it goes back to the people?

I mean it's better than nothing I suppose. I know in IL, they got over $1 billion from the lottery.

aldebaran · 01-06-2004, 10:09 PM

I thought this was interesting (from The Smoking Gun) - looks like this lady has a history of bogus-ness. Hmph. Sort of reminiscent of that phony Walmart lady from before Christmas.

Quote:

Lottery Loser's Shady Past
Ohio woman has fraud, assault convictions, uses alias

JANUARY 6--The Ohio woman who told police that she purchased--and then lost--the winning $162 million Mega Millions lottery ticket--has several arrests on her rap sheet, including convictions for assault and credit card fraud, The Smoking Gun has learned. In addition, Elecia Battle is using an alias and has falsely claimed to be married to the man with whom she now lives.

Battle, whose real name is Elecia Dickson, apparently has borrowed the surname of boyfriend James Battle. The 40-year-old pharmacy worker remains legally married to husband Keith Dickson, though the couple is in the middle of a divorce action pending in Cuyahoga County's Court of Common Pleas.

Using the Battle alias, Dickson this afternoon filed a lawsuit seeking to block the awarding of the Mega Millions jackpot to Rebecca Jemison, the woman who came forward today to claim the lottery jackpot (and who was declared the winner by Ohio state officials).

According to court records and TSG sources, Dickson's rap sheet dates back at least a decade and includes busts for aggravated menacing, assault, and credit card fraud. The latter conviction, according to a source familiar with the case, stemmed from a 1999 swindle Dickson orchestrated at a suburban Cleveland chain store. The below mug shot was taken following Dickson's September 1999 arrest in Cleveland Heights for misdemeanor assault.

The woman's estranged husband--who's been married to Dickson for 13 years--told TSG, "My wife can stretch things out of proportion." He added, "Looks like she filed a bogus police report."

When she went to cops with her tale of the lost lottery ticket, officers asked Dickson how she picked the six winning numbers. A couple of the numbers came from one son's birth date, while another number was her son's age flipped. As for why she picked the winning number 49, Dickson told cops that her "husband turns 49 this year." That came as a surprise to Keith Dickson, himself a dedicated gambler and lottery player. "I'm 44," he said. "I turn 45 in February."

[ 01-06-2004: Message edited aldebaran ]

Musicchild · 01-07-2004, 12:33 PM

That's why you keep up with stuff like that. Once I buy a ticket I would keep it in safe place, and NOT in my pants pocket.

But come on now everyone here be HONEST: If you seen a ticket out in the parking lot of someplace; you know you would keep it,and if it won you would be the ready to get your money in a second. And damn to who orginally bought it. People have bills and other expenses, and if you are so careless then maybe you didn't deserve it.

Nah but if the person who lost their ticket provided solid proof, then I would probably split it with them, but I did have the winning ticket in my possession, and I wouldn't walk away with nothing.

Enigma, I.C. · 01-07-2004, 09:44 PM

Um, yeah, I had that ticket too. It looks like it ended up in Ohio somehow [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

SuperDeluxe · 01-08-2004, 01:27 PM

The woman made the whole story up and lied.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040108/D7VUPEM00.html

stupid woman, wasted time and resources of police officers

Send her ass to jail again! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Emily_Anne · 01-11-2004, 12:37 PM

*double post*

[ 01-11-2004: Message edited Emily_Anne ]

Emily_Anne · 01-11-2004, 12:37 PM

I agree! She should be sent back to jail for fraud and wasting the time of the police!

Headhunter · 01-13-2004, 09:34 PM

6 months max in jail? That's it? For publicly dragging the police department through this rediculous charade, it needs to be significantly longer.

Lewisa · 01-14-2004, 05:07 PM

I even read about this in the swedish newspaper..
In the "can you believe it section" [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]


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