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November 17, 2006 Ruth Sasser, PAS For Immediate Release 747-4700, ext. 2117 The Irresistible Scratch Off An employee at the Phillips Store on Thomas Drive ended up in the Bay County Jail after numerous $10 and $20 Lottery Scratch Off tickets went missing during the three weeks she worked at the store. Investigators arrested Rowena Martinez, DOB 4/4/64, of 3609 Tiki Drive, Panama City Beach on November 16, 2006, after an investigation into missing lottery tickets revealed on store surveillance cameras that Martinez appeared to take Scratch Off tickets, hide under the counter while she scratched the ticket to see if it was a winner and then place the ticket into a plastic bag to discard. Investigators suspect Martinez would then take the cash customers gave her to pay for groceries and not ring up the items, using the cash instead to pay for the lottery tickets. When taken into custody, Martinez had twelve $20 Scratch Off tickets and two $10 Scratch Off tickets in a plastic bag ready to throw into the trash and an audit of her cash register revealed she was $200.00 short. An inventory is currently being done to determine exactly how extensive the stores losses will be. Martinez was charged with Grand Theft and taken to the Bay County Jail. Prepared by R. Sasser Information by Inv. J. Daffin |
Last Updated:
January 08, 2008