Woman claiming to win lottery prices is arrested instead for stealing dozens of tickets

SEATTLE - What seemed to be a streak of good luck ended up being the complete opposite, as an ex-con on felony probation in Polk County was arrested after stealing 48 lottery tickets from a convenience store located on Old Kathleen Road in Lakeland, Florida.

Samantha Young, 38, entered a Circle K's convenience store wearing a full face covering and reached over the counter, stealing lottery tickets. The theft took place at around 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 4 and involved $1,500 worth of scratch-off tickets, according to officials.

But what got her caught again was her impatience, according to the Polk County's Sheriff's Office. Young started cashing in the tickets she stole almost immediately at nearby stores, redeeming six at a single store. Prizes for the nine winning tickets that she possessed amounted to $470, officials said.

"She didn't win the lottery, but she did win a trip to the county jail," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video posted Sept. 4 on Facebook.

According to Judd, Young has a long history with the law. Before moving to Florida, she got in trouble in South Carolina for armed robbery.

In the Facebook video shared by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Judd said that Young had previously been arrested in Florida 22 other times dating back to 2007 on charges ranging from petit theft and grand theft to drug possession and aggravated assault.

And just earlier this year, in February, she was released from state prison "on felony probation for trafficking in stolen property," according to officials.

"The Florida Lottery provided documentation of the locations and times of where the stolen winning lottery tickets were redeemed," the sheriff's office said.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office revealed that investigative resources were utilized to identify the suspect. What facilitated the investigators' task was a vehicle associated with Young observed in the area at around the same time frame of when the crime occurred.

When interviewed at her home in Lakeland by law enforcement on Aug. 23, she "admitted to redeeming the stolen lottery tickets" officials said.

Young is charged with unarmed burglary, obtaining property by fraud, grand theft and violation of probation. Her probation was scheduled to end in February 2027.