Steven Sturdavant of Jacksonville said he wanted to make sure he wasn’t dreaming after a $1 Cash 5 ticket turned into a $100,000 win.

Sturdavant, a 63-year-old former Army staff sergeant, said he first checked the Jan. 28 Cash 5 results early Saturday morning and he thought the winning numbers looked similar, but he went right back to sleep.

“I was half asleep when I first found out,” Sturdavant said. “When I woke up later that morning I had to check again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

Sturdavant, a Half Moon resident, retired from the Army as a disabled combat veteran. He bought his lucky Quick Pick ticket from the Food Lion on Branchwood Shopping Center in Jacksonville.

“I don’t think it’ll really sink in until I see it in the bank account,” Sturdavant laughed.

Sturdavant claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,014. He said he wants to do some house repairs, buy a new van, and then help out some of his family members.

Cash 5 is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through Online Play, either through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. Thursday’s jackpot is $110,000.

Ticket sales from draw games such as Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million a year for education. For details on how $11.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Onslow County in 2020, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.