Patricia Pearson of Villa Hills claimed her $1 million Kentucky lottery winnings from a computer-generated Powerball ticket that matched all numbers except the Powerball number. She had 26; she need 34.
Pearson learned she may be the winner after a phone call. When lottery officials went to the AmeriStop Food Mart in Villa Hills for security checks after the drawing, they watched the surveillance video of the purchased with store manager Paul Gabis who recognized Pearson. They located her through the management company of her condominium complex.
“At first I though he was calling because I’d been trying to sell my condo for the past year and had a sign up at the store,” Pearson said. Then Gabis told her, “You won the lottery!” and asked her to read the numbers on her ticket.
Gabis told her about the $1 million jackpot.
Pearson says she buys lottery tickets only a few times a year but when she found a few ticket she hadn’t checked, she took them to the AmeriStop, discovered she’d won $4 and decided to buy a single Powerball ticket and a Mega Millions ticket. The Powerball ticket was her winner.
Pearson said she has no plans for her new-found wealth beyond helping a few family members. AmeriStop will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.