For many in Brooklin and neighboring towns, rumors about the possible winner have filled a void of official news from lottery headquarters in Augusta.

For a time, anyone leaving town on vacation or driving home in a new car immediately became the latest rumored winner.

Christine Royce, an official with the Maine State Lottery Commission, said a lawyer claiming to represent the winning ticket holder called the commission a week after the June 28 Megabucks drawing and requested information.

Royce said this week that she has heard nothing about the ticket since that phone call.

No one has claimed the ticket, she said.

That is, no one has officially claimed the ticket in Augusta. But at least one local resident claims to be the lucky winner.

Wes Bartlett of Harriman Point Road in Brooklin was featured in a Channel 5 news segment Monday night.

The feature included an interview with Bartlett, who said his newfound wealth would not change him in any way.

The segment also showed Bartlett with the store employee who sold him tickets for the $3.4 million drawingmaybe the winning ticket.

No one knows for sure.

Mike Roy, owner of the Brooklin General Store, said Tuesday that the publicity from the news segment was over nothin.

He said he has the winning ticket, but Ive never seen it, Roy said.

He added that Bartlett had shown a ticket with the winning numbers on it to the employee who sold him tickets, but the employee is not sure that the ticket was for the right date.

According to Roy, Bartlett arranged the news segment with WABI TV 5, a CBS affiliate in Bangor.

He asked me if Id do an interview, Roy said, and I told him I was too busy. The next thing I knew it was on TV.

Phil Robertson, assignment editor at WABI TV 5, said Bartlett had told reporters the winning ticket is in a bank safety deposit box.

Robertson said reporters at the TV station are keeping in touch with Bartlett and state lottery officials to find out when Bartlett or someone else claims the winning ticket.

Attempts to contact Bartlett were unsuccessful.