Rome police are seeking information about a woman shown in surveillance footage stealing scratch-off lottery tickets from a local convenience store.
A brief video clip of a woman reaching across an unattended counter at Mapco Express, 2500 Shorter Ave., and stealing two different types of tickets is posted on the Rome Police Department’s Facebook page.
According to a police report:
After a store employee came up short on lottery tickets while doing inventory on Jan. 21, she checked surveillance logs and found footage of the suspect.
The report said the suspect entered the store around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 and went directly to the bathroom. The suspect then told the clerk behind the counter that the bathroom was dirty. The clerk offered to clean the bathroom. While the clerk was away, the suspect reached over the counter and stole $20 and $5 lottery tickets.
The suspect also allegedly took a case of Budweiser beer valued at $20 from the store and put it in her white SUV while the clerk was cleaning the bathroom, according to the report.
The suspect returned to the bathroom after the clerk was finished cleaning it and then left the store.
Though the woman reportedly left the store with several lottery tickets, it is unlikely she will be able to claim any winnings.
Rome police detective Michelle Sims said it is likely that the stolen tickets have been reported to the Georgia Lottery Commission for deactivation.
“We have measures in place to identify stolen tickets and keep them from being cashed in,” said Kimberly Starks, media relations manager for the Georgia Lottery.
Georgia Lottery rules state that a winning ticket “may not be stolen or appear on any list of omitted tickets on file with the Georgia Lottery Commission.”
Anyone who can identify the suspect is asked to contact Sims at 706-238-5124.
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