Man nearly throws away $1 ticket, then wins huge North Carolina lottery prize

John Cornwell was moved by something that made him reconsider throwing his $1 Cash5 ticket in the garbage.

According to lottery officials, at first glance, he believed it was a bad draw. He won $277,086.

Cornwell stated that he checked the ticket and found a message about visiting the lottery office.

I thought

I nearly threw it out. It was a poor ticket.

He decided to double-check and walked back into Waco Stop & Shop on Cherryville Road to scan the ticket.

Cornwell, 70 years old, said to the officials that he thought he had won the big one.

I waited until my return home, then shouted loudly to my wife that it was me who had won.

According to the lottery, Cornwell is a mechanical engineer and purchased the ticket for Cash 5 on Dec. 30.

According to the lottery, the Cash5 lottery is one among four state lottery games where players can buy tickets online through either a website or an app. All tickets cost $1.

According to officials, Cornwell told his wife about what had happened when he returned home.

Cornwell said that she thought Cornwell made it up. “I told her, Baby! It’s real!” She still doesn’t believe it.

Cornwell, after taxes, took home $196 759. He plans to use it towards the purchase of a new car for his spouse and to take her on vacation.