Suspect tried redeeming $100-winning lottery ticket he allegedly stole in Auburn store burglary

AUBURN, MI — An Auburn man has been charged with breaking into a local convenience store to steal scratch-off lottery tickets, one of which he allegedly tried to redeem when it proved to be a $100 winner.About 1:35 a.m. on Sept. 9, Michigan State Police troopers responded to a burglary alarm at JoJo’s Refresh Shop, 401 W. Midland Road in Auburn. They arrived to find no sign of forced entry, with the business owner showing them surveillance camera footage of the intrusion.The footage showed a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt, mask, gloves, and gray pants enter the store, walk behind the register, and steal scratch-off lottery tickets, two packs of Camel Crush cigarettes, and $50 in cash, court records show.In all, the value of stolen lottery tickets amounted to $1,930, court records show.An employee who closed JoJo’s the night of Sept. 8 told troopers a regular customer had come in and stayed longer than usual, making her uncomfortable. This patron asked the employee what would happen if she sold him a lottery ticket without first scanning it and it wound up a winner, she told troopers.She said she remembered this question due to its oddness.The owner told troopers a similar…
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