CHARLOTTE (AP) — A Charlotte man can thank his mother-in-law for keeping him from making a more than $250,000 mistake.
North Carolina lottery officials say Tommy Belcher claimed a $257,000 jackpot this week in the state’s Cash 5 drawing nearly four months after the May drawing.
Belcher says he may not have ever cashed in the ticket if his mother-in-law hadn’t mentioned an unclaimed prize in Charlotte. Belcher says he had a stack of tickets in his truck’s visor that he checked at a store and found out he was a big winner.
Belcher says all his mother-in-law asked for after his win was a new refrigerator, and he is going to buy her one.
Lottery officials say a $272,000 Cash 5 winner from April bought in Charlotte will expire Tuesday.