Paul Jones of Warrenton was scanning some old tickets on Tuesday when he checked his Cash 5 ticket and realized he won Monday’s $423,684 jackpot.
“I scanned the Cash 5 ticket and you could have knocked me over with a feather,” recalled Jones. “It said, ‘Winner! Take ticket to lottery headquarters.’ And that was the surprise on the 1st.”
Jones, a retired Air Force Intelligence Specialist of 16 years, purchased his winning Quick Pick ticket from the Everest Mart on U.S. 401 South in Warrenton.
“It still feels quite surreal,” he said. “I just could not believe that this fortune had befallen me. It’s just amazing.”
His ticket was one of two that matched all five numbers in the drawing. The other half was won by Shirley Tucker of Greensboro in Guilford County.
“I think that that’s a wonderful thing,” said Jones on splitting the jackpot. “Hopefully we’ll both enjoy the benefits of this surprise — at the end of this year, especially.”
Jones claimed his half of the jackpot, $211,842, at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Friday. After required federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $149,879.
“Really, I’m just going to use this money to pay off some bills and start off 2021 with hopefully a little bit better financial outlook,” said Jones.
Carolina Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. Friday’s jackpot is $177,000.
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.
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