Tennessee couple accused of stealing thousands of lottery tickets

Oct 16, 2007, 7:56 am (11 comments)

Tennessee Lottery

A Maryville, Tennessee, couple is out on bond after being accused of stealing thousands of lottery tickets.

Linda Dillow, 59, and Charles Dillow, 50, are accused of stealing from the "Easy Way" Exxon in Maryville, where both worked.

The owner noticed a discrepancy on the books with regard to the number of lottery tickets that had left the story. The owner watched the store's surveillance video to get a better idea of what was going on.

Police say the video showed Linda Dillow stealing $3500 in scratch-off tickets, and the couple later admitted to taking a lot more than that.

The Dillows posted bail Monday night.

WBIR

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Guest

Are all conveniance store clerks stupid?There sure seems to be a lot of these people arrested for stealing tickets and cheating or trying to cheat lottery winners.

csfb's avatarcsfb

Wow.  They must be very addicted and very desperate, or just dumb.

DrumSlinger

Locks only keep honest people out.  There is always an unseen surveilance camera, always on, thats why HE made it the seventh commandment.

IMGONNAWIN

Quote: Originally posted by on Oct 16, 2007

Are all conveniance store clerks stupid?There sure seems to be a lot of these people arrested for stealing tickets and cheating or trying to cheat lottery winners.

I resent this remark. I work at a convience store and I have NEVER stolen any thing! I also am currently enrolled in university working on my bachlors degree in education. However, yes there are a lot of dishonest people out there. When I check someone's ticket I tell them to watch the ticker to make sure that they get what is their's. We also print out a receipt and staple it to the winning/loosing ticket and show them to the customer before we pay them the cash. This elimanates any possibility of stealinmg from the customer. We also have to check the number of tickets sold 3 times a day, and it is printed out at the end of each person's shift. Perhaps convience store's should take up some of these precautions to help keep their employee's honest.

 

play to win Star

 

IMGONNAWIN

Guest

Quote: Originally posted by IMGONNAWIN on Oct 20, 2007

I resent this remark. I work at a convience store and I have NEVER stolen any thing! I also am currently enrolled in university working on my bachlors degree in education. However, yes there are a lot of dishonest people out there. When I check someone's ticket I tell them to watch the ticker to make sure that they get what is their's. We also print out a receipt and staple it to the winning/loosing ticket and show them to the customer before we pay them the cash. This elimanates any possibility of stealinmg from the customer. We also have to check the number of tickets sold 3 times a day, and it is printed out at the end of each person's shift. Perhaps convience store's should take up some of these precautions to help keep their employee's honest.

 

play to win Star

 

IMGONNAWIN

Learn to read.It was a question not an accusation.

justxploring's avatarjustxploring

A woman who lives down the street from me worked at 7-11 for 6 months.  She was fired for stealing lottery tickets, although she denies it.  Maybe these people don't consider taking lottery tickets as stealing.   I've met people who commit insurance fraud, cheat on their taxes, collect unemployment for months without looking for work, etc., and don't consider that stealing either. 

By the way, saying it's because they are clerks is ridiculous.  That's like saying people who drive have the most DUIs.  I think we read about clerks in convenience stores so often because they have access to the tickets and are handling them all the time.

Stack47

Quote: Originally posted by justxploring on Oct 21, 2007

A woman who lives down the street from me worked at 7-11 for 6 months.  She was fired for stealing lottery tickets, although she denies it.  Maybe these people don't consider taking lottery tickets as stealing.   I've met people who commit insurance fraud, cheat on their taxes, collect unemployment for months without looking for work, etc., and don't consider that stealing either. 

By the way, saying it's because they are clerks is ridiculous.  That's like saying people who drive have the most DUIs.  I think we read about clerks in convenience stores so often because they have access to the tickets and are handling them all the time.

"Maybe these people don't consider taking lottery tickets as stealing."

My best guess is that some clerks buy tickets when they believe a certain roll has winners. They probably start out $5 or $10 and quickly get to the point where they either have to win or the drawer will be short for their shift.

I've heard stories where one clerk will take the losses out of another clerk's drawer and make it look like they are the thief.

Stack47

Quote: Originally posted by on Oct 16, 2007

Are all conveniance store clerks stupid?There sure seems to be a lot of these people arrested for stealing tickets and cheating or trying to cheat lottery winners.

"There sure seems to be a lot of these people arrested for stealing tickets and cheating or trying to cheat lottery winners."

My state has over 10,000 lottery retailers and I'll bet they all have at least 3 clerks running their lottery sales so even though 100 clerks stealing or cheating seems like al ot, it's a very small percentage.

IMGONNAWIN

Quote: Originally posted by on Oct 20, 2007

Learn to read.It was a question not an accusation.

I did read it, did you?

IMGONNAWIN

Quote: Originally posted by IMGONNAWIN on Oct 23, 2007

I did read it, did you?

By the way that little mark at the end of the first sentence is a question mark and requires a response. I'm not trying to be witchy about this I am explaining that when a broard brush is used you sometimes catch that one person who is honest. Thankfully for my customers they have no need to wonder if I will cheat them, I am truely happy for anyone that wins any thing from that free ticket to the $500 winner. My employer can also trust me seeing as how I only make $7 per hour I can not afford to play the scratchers. The only time I do get to play is when a customer buys one for me! Have a good day.

 

PLAY TO WIN

 

IMGONNAWIN  Stretch

computerhead723's avatarcomputerhead723

Quote: Originally posted by IMGONNAWIN on Oct 23, 2007

By the way that little mark at the end of the first sentence is a question mark and requires a response. I'm not trying to be witchy about this I am explaining that when a broard brush is used you sometimes catch that one person who is honest. Thankfully for my customers they have no need to wonder if I will cheat them, I am truely happy for anyone that wins any thing from that free ticket to the $500 winner. My employer can also trust me seeing as how I only make $7 per hour I can not afford to play the scratchers. The only time I do get to play is when a customer buys one for me! Have a good day.

 

PLAY TO WIN

 

IMGONNAWIN  Stretch

I  think  most  clerks  are  honest  some  steal  but  they  make  the  news  when they  get  caught...I  like  the  fACT  you  scan  the  ticket  and the  show  the  reciept  and  staple  the  ticket  to  the  winners  report , after  validation they  do  that   here  too  at  most  of  the  big   chains  or   supermarkets ....stores  owned  by  forign Nationals  don't  follow  this  proceedure ;

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