A woman in Florida is headed back to jail after she was allegedly caught swiping some lottery tickets at a gas station convenience store and then trying to cash them in at another store, according to authorities.
Next stop — state prison
On August 23, Samantha Young, 38, was arrested and charged with unarmed burglary, grand theft, obtaining property by fraud, and violation of probation after an incident took place on August 4, according to an arrest affidavit from the Polk County Sheriff's Office obtained by WOFL.
In a Facebook post, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, “We found her. We locked her up. She didn't win the lottery, but she did win a trip to the county jail. Her next stop? State prison.”
Reaching and swiping
According to the arrest affidavit, Young walked into the Circle K, located on Old Kathleen Road in Lakeland, around 9:45 p.m. on August 4.
Young allegedly walked into the convenience store wearing a face covering, reached over the checkout counter, grabbed 48 Florida Lottery scratch-off tickets worth a total of $1,500, and then walked out of the store without paying, police said.
The suspect wasted no time
Young reportedly wasted no time in scratching the tickets! Over the next two hours, police said she walked into three different convenience stores within four miles of the Circle K and redeemed the winning tickets she had stolen.
In total, officials said Young redeemed nine of the stolen lottery tickets for a cash value of $470.
Investigators were able to identify Young as the suspect and they brought her in for an interview. During that interview, she reportedly admitted to redeeming the stolen lottery tickets and she was arrested.
A long history of crimes
Young is no stranger to the criminal system. At the time of her arrest, authorities learned she was on felony probation for trafficking in stolen property.
According to Sheriff Judd, Young got out of state prison in February 2024. She has been arrested 22 times in Florida dating back to 2007. These arrests range from grand theft and drug possession to petit theft and aggravated assault.
Sheriff Judd said, “She's a bad girl, and she'll steal your stuff. And that's what she did.”
Young was booked into the Polk County Jail and remains in custody without bond, officials said.
No crimes committed here
While Young tried to steal her way to winning a big jackpot, another Florida Lottery player paid cash for their ticket, which turned into $1 million!
James Wise, 60, of Pace, recently claimed his $1 million prize from the $1,000,000 A Year For Life Spectacular scratch-off game. Wise made his way to the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee and chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $640,000.
Wise purchased the winning $50 scratch-off game from Publix, located at 4739 Highway 90 in Pace. For selling the winning ticket, Publix will receive a $2,000 bonus commission from the state lottery.
Enjoy playing the Florida Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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