After catching a few small spots and croakers while fishing Thursday, Jasper Person of Jacksonville stopped to play the lottery on his way home and hooked a whopper, a $1 million prize.
“It was the biggest catch of the day,” said Person, a disabled Army veteran, as he collected his prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
Person bought his lucky $10 Carolina Black Millionaire Edition ticket at the Best Mart on Richlands Highway in Jacksonville.
“It made me nervous,” Person said. “But I called my wife and said, ‘Hey, baby, I just won a million dollars.’ She said, ‘Stop playing.’”
Person had the choice of taking the $1 million prize as an annuity of $50,000 a year for 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the $600,000 lump sum and took home $424,503 after required federal and state tax withholdings. He said he planned to pay off bills and remodel his home.
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