Iowa Man Claims Powerball Prize with Ripped Ticket
Wednesday May 20th 2015An Iowa bus driver nearly lost out on a $1 million Powerball prize when the clerk ripped up the ticket and tossed it in the trash. Pete Kemp, a bus driver from Des Moines, was checking his Powerball ticket on Sunday morning to see if he had won big the previous evening. As it turned out, he had matched all five main numbers. The store clerk, preoccupied with paperwork, threw the entry in the bin after tearing it in half.
As Kemp left the store, he realized that he didn’t have the ticket with him. He rushed back inside and retrieved it, worrying that it might have been invalidated because it had been torn. The clerk also realized her mistake and helped him tape it back together. Later, Iowa Lottery officials reassured him that they could validate the ticket and give him the prize.
Kemp will receive $700,000 after taxes are taken out of the winnings. A father of five, he’s decided to celebrate his good fortune with a nice dinner and will put the money towards his eventual retirement. He plans to continue to work as a bus driver for the time being. “I’m thinking about my retirement,” he told lottery officials. “I want to make sure I have enough to live! Who knows how much things will cost in another 20 years.”
There was no winner of the Powerball jackpot on Saturday, May 16th, and the jackpot has rolled over to $121 million for tonight. Kemp was one of four players on Saturday who missed out on a nine-figure windfall by a single number - the Powerball itself. If anyone is able to match all six numbers drawn tonight, they’ll hit a payout that could change their lives forever. If you’re playing tonight, make sure to keep those tickets safe!
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