SC woman was arrested after cashing in 131 winning lottery tickets, cops say
A woman was recently arrested for cashing in more than 100 winning lottery tickets that she stole, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The woman both stole and redeemed the scratch-off tickets at the convenience store where she worked, SLED said in a news release.
On June 3, 53-year-old Florence resident Joanne P. Harrelson was charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, SLED said in a news release.
The charge stems from incidents between Feb. 13 and March 7, when Harrelson was accused of stealing lottery tickets from Prospect Grocery, at 2196 Lake City Highway in Florence County, an arrest warrant shows.
Harrelson then cashed in 131 winning scratch-off lottery tickets — with combined cash prizes of $495 — at the same store, according to the arrest warrant.
Both the theft and redemption at the store were recorded on surveillance footage, an arrest warrant shows.
Harrelson was booked into the Florence County Detention Center, according to the release. Information about her bond was not available, but Harrelson is not currently listed on the jail’s inmate roster.
She will be prosecuted by both the 12th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, according to the release.
The SLED investigation was requested by South Carolina Education Lottery.
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