Couple engaged 4 long years say they can finally have a wedding after NC lottery win

Aug 9, 2019, 10:01 am (30 comments)

North Carolina Lottery

After years of waiting, Jeremy McLean of Roanoke Rapids can finally marry the woman of his dreams thanks to a $100,000 lottery prize.

"We've been engaged for four years," McLean said. "We just haven't had the extra money to get married until now."

McLean's fiancé Heidi Hobbs said the win will make her dream come true. "The first thought that ran through my head when he told me was, 'We can finally get married,'" Hobbs said. "I don't want anything fancy, just something simple to celebrate that we're together."

The electrician's good fortune happened Tuesday night when he stopped for some Mountain Dew at the New Dixie Mart on East 10th Street in Roanoke Rapids. While there, McLean spent $20 on a $5,000,000 Fortune scratch-off ticket.

"I didn't win anything on the ticket," McLean said. "I got back in my truck and started pulling out of the parking lot when something just said I should get another ticket."

McLean went back inside and asked for a second $5,000,000 Fortune scratch-off ticket. When he saw what he won, he rushed home to tell his fiancé.

"He came in yelling, 'I did it!'" Hobbs said. "When he showed me the ticket, I started jumping on the bed I was so excited. This feels like a dream!"

McLean claimed his prize Wednesday morning at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $70,756.

"You've changed our lives forever," McLean said when he got the check. "This is incredible."

McLean is the first player to claim a big prize in the game since it launched earlier this week. Three $5 million prizes and five $100,000 prizes remain.

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

music*'s avatarmusic*

Congratulations to Jeremy McLean and his fiance Heidi Hobbs!! Party

  What a wonderful start to a life together. 

 

  Jeremy is an electrician which is an excellent trade. We do not know if Heidi is employed.

  He heard a voice and paid attention to that voice. 

 

 $70,756.00 is a good start.

noise-gate

Probably read my thread in the discussion forum. Bringing joy to others makes my day..or not! Banana

Have an uplifting weekend good people.

BuyLow's avatarBuyLow

Save enough for the divorce!!!  Jester

Cassie8620's avatarCassie8620

Quote: Originally posted by BuyLow on Aug 9, 2019

Save enough for the divorce!!!  Jester

wow.LOL lol that is a good 1.  lol buy low.

 

 

and congrats to him. (and her) but you're able to marry on a dime, or a few hundred IF truly meant to be and really are IN LOVE, so congrats either way.

I m remembering i just bought one as soon as it came out new book here in nice wilson,

 

and won nothing on the 1st one at all.(i usually wait to buy a few and not on each/every TUE, (the new ones come out)like this one but he had major luck with buyin' these NEW one's during only a few days out! that's awesome!

 

So happy for him and her. so nice, just alot of taxes are taken out. So, i hope he flip it $

invest with the fiancee' wife to be, and live healthy and nice,and blessed!

BananaCONGRATS!

cottoneyedjoe's avatarcottoneyedjoe

Quote: Originally posted by Cassie8620 on Aug 9, 2019

wow.LOL lol that is a good 1.  lol buy low.

 

 

and congrats to him. (and her) but you're able to marry on a dime, or a few hundred IF truly meant to be and really are IN LOVE, so congrats either way.

I m remembering i just bought one as soon as it came out new book here in nice wilson,

 

and won nothing on the 1st one at all.(i usually wait to buy a few and not on each/every TUE, (the new ones come out)like this one but he had major luck with buyin' these NEW one's during only a few days out! that's awesome!

 

So happy for him and her. so nice, just alot of taxes are taken out. So, i hope he flip it $

invest with the fiancee' wife to be, and live healthy and nice,and blessed!

BananaCONGRATS!

Couldn't get married for the last four years because they didn't have $75 K to spare, even though anyone can get married for free or nominal fee at the courthouse...

Congrats to the dude on the windfall. The only caveat is now he will have to come up with a new excuse why he can't marry her.

billybucks

it seems obvious that he didn't want to get married. doesn't even look that thrilled in the lottery picture. not buying the story about going back in for another ticket because he lost on the first one either. this story smells like fake news. it costs about 40.00 to get married if you really wanted to.

Stack47

Quote: Originally posted by cottoneyedjoe on Aug 9, 2019

Couldn't get married for the last four years because they didn't have $75 K to spare, even though anyone can get married for free or nominal fee at the courthouse...

Congrats to the dude on the windfall. The only caveat is now he will have to come up with a new excuse why he can't marry her.

Paying under $100 to get married is a huge expense for some lottery players and as somebody suggested have the significant other should sign a prenup and then tell them about the win wouldn't work because she knows he won.

music*'s avatarmusic*

They will owe more taxes.  The Lottery deducts 24% for the IRS.  Then 13% is still owed.

  Payment is due before tax day 2020.

KY Floyd's avatarKY Floyd

"They will owe more taxes."

100k in lottery winnings and his income as an electrician in NC might give him a taxable income of 120 to 140k this year.  He might owe a few bucks because his employer has been withholding taxes for an annual income that's a lot less, but the 24% withholding for the lottery win will cover every dime he owes for that.

"Paying under $100 to get married is a huge expense for some lottery players"

Dude managed to spend $40 on lottery tickets in less than5 or 10 minutes. You really think $100 to get married was such a huge expense he couldn't scrape it together in 4 years?

If they've wanted to get married for 4 years and didn't do it because they couldn't afford a fancy wedding they must want to be married less than I want a snack after dinner.

Bald

Congratulations !!Banana

music*'s avatarmusic*

They will need a CPA.  When do they start filing as married?  How much of this year's income will be taxed? At what rate?

  No Pity!

Raven62's avatarRaven62

Congrats to the Lucky Couple!

Though estimates vary, the cost of an average wedding is well into the five figures. The website costofwedding.com pegs the national average at $25,764, while The Knot reports an average of $33,391. The Knot also says the typical wedding includes 100 to 150 guests.

Honeymoons comprise a $12 billion-dollar-a-year industry. Couples spend an average of $4,466 on their honeymoon. That's three times as much as the average U.S. adult spends on a vacation. Luxury honeymooners, which account for 15% of the market, spend an average of $9,954 for 11 days.

MillionsWanted's avatarMillionsWanted

Get married in the City Hall and spend your money wisely instead.

Stack47

Quote: Originally posted by KY Floyd on Aug 10, 2019

"They will owe more taxes."

100k in lottery winnings and his income as an electrician in NC might give him a taxable income of 120 to 140k this year.  He might owe a few bucks because his employer has been withholding taxes for an annual income that's a lot less, but the 24% withholding for the lottery win will cover every dime he owes for that.

"Paying under $100 to get married is a huge expense for some lottery players"

Dude managed to spend $40 on lottery tickets in less than5 or 10 minutes. You really think $100 to get married was such a huge expense he couldn't scrape it together in 4 years?

If they've wanted to get married for 4 years and didn't do it because they couldn't afford a fancy wedding they must want to be married less than I want a snack after dinner.

Doesn't appear to be very many people here that paid taxes on incomes around $100,000 or understand IRS form "schedule A", but that doesn't stop some from pretending they do. 

"If they've wanted to get married for 4 years and didn't do it because they couldn't afford a fancy wedding they must want to be married less than I want a snack after dinner."

Lots of people wait until they save enough for a fancy weddings and some even have their children in their weddings too.

Subscribe to this news story