McDowell County couple will buy a tractor with $624,134 jackpot

When Alvin Turner of Nebo saw he hit the jackpot in Monday’s Cash 5 drawing, he had to show his wife the $624,134 prize right away.

“I woke her up,” he laughed. “I thought I was reading it wrong.”

Turner bought his lucky $1 Quick Pick ticket from KG’s Quik Stop on Rutherford Road in Marion. The odds of matching numbers on all five balls playing Cash 5 are 1 in 962,598.

“We were both in shock,” Turner recalled. “It was super.”

He arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $446,256.

Turner said he wants to pay some bills and help out some family members. His wife said she’d like to use some of the winnings to buy a tractor.

Cash 5 is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Wednesday’s Cash 5 jackpot stands at $110,000.

A $15 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, helped McDowell County build the new Old Fort Elementary School. For details on other ways McDowell County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.