Jesse Johnson of Snow Hill stood in a parking lot scratching a $30 lottery ticket Wednesday morning when suddenly his feet gave out beneath him after uncovering a $1 million top prize.
“I just fell down beside my truck,” he laughed. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Johnson, a grandfather of 22, bought his lucky MAX-A-MILLION ticket from Nour Tobacco on North Queen Street in Kinston. He wanted to tell his wife right away but he had trouble getting the words out.
“I couldn’t really talk over the phone I was so excited,” he recalled.
When Johnson arrived at lottery headquarters Wednesday, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $432,068.
“I guess I was just in the right place at the right time,” Johnson said.
He plans to use his winnings to help take care of his 22 grandchildren.
The MAX-A-MILLION game debuted in March with 25 top prizes of $1 million and 10 prizes of $100,000. Sixteen $1 million prizes and seven $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Greene County has received state grants totaling over $50 million from monies raised by the lottery to build a new high school. For details on other ways money raised by the lottery made a difference in Greene County, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.
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