BY JASMINE HUDA
Wednesday, March 06, 2008

Collinsville man accused of stealing winning $10,000 ticket in office lottery pool

(KSDK) -- Winning $10,000 in the lottery should be exciting. But for one Collinsville man, it could lead to a prison sentence. The Madison County State's Attorney charged Curtis Devore, 28, of stealing a winning ticket from an office lottery pool. Authorities said Devore cashed in the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket purchased by more than a dozen employees at Bethel-Eckert Enterprises in Collinsville.

Curtis Devore

"It's taken something that should be a lot of fun, and trashed it for everybody," Scott Laird, Devore's supervisor, said.

Laird notified authorities after he discovered Devore altered a spreadsheet that contained the winning lottery numbers.

"One of the numbers was off. And Curtis did cash in a ticket for $10,000," Detective Sgt. Rich Wittenauer of the Collinsville Police Department said.

The money will eventually be divided among the employees who participated in the office pool, Laird said. But he added the experience feels more like a loss than a win.

"We all like Curtis. He's been here two and a half years. And he's been a great employee for us. But to have something like this happen, ruins the fun for everybody," he said.

Larry Eckert, the president of Bethel-Eckert Enterprises, said Devore will not return to work.

"It's kind of hard to put somebody on the financial side of your business when some unfortunate thing like this happens," Eckert said.

Devore remains in custody in Madison County. A judge set his bond at $100,000 In order to be released, Devore would need to pay the exact amount the ticket was worth: $10,000.

If convicted, Devore could face up to five years in prison for felony theft.

 


 
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