South County 911 Worker Rings Up $50K Win

CHURCHTON, MD — An Anne Arundel County 911 operator got so emotional over her $50,000 win on a 50x The Cash scratch-off she feared becoming the subject of the next 911 call. The 67-year-old South County resident relaxes after work by playing scratch-offs, according to a news release.

“This is my only vice, playing the Lottery,” said the woman, who has worked as a county 911 operator for 29 years. Her lucky day arrived after she’d completed a double shift. When she arrived at an intersection, she had a choice of turning for home or visiting her favorite Lottery retailer — and drove to Christopher’s Fine Foods in Churchton.

“My car automatically made a left-hand turn,” the mother of two adult children told Maryland Lottery officials. She typically plays $10 and $20 scratch-offs in the store and cashes winning instant tickets as she finds them. One of her $10 game choices that morning was the 50x The Cash game.

“I’m leaning on the side of the machine like we all do and scratching the ticket and making a mess on the floor,” said the grandmother of one. When she matched winning number 26 on the scratch-off, she quickly revealed the prize hiding beneath it. She’d won $50,000.

“I said, ‘Oh my God, oh my God’ and I screamed out at the top of my lungs,” the winner said. One of the store employees came running and told the lucky lady, “Don’t give me a heart attack, what’s wrong?” When the loyal scratch-off player showed the employee the instant ticket’s prize, the happy employee confirmed her $50,000 win and another store employee advised her to sign the back of the instant ticket right then and there.

“All of the employees were running around, kissing and hugging me,” she said. “I was screaming, crying and sweating, I was so overwhelmed.” Then, she got dizzy. “I thought they were going to have to zap me with the AED!” she said.

She plans to buy her first iPhone and iPad with her prize along with a new car. Some of her winnings will go toward dental work, too. She’ll also keep playing scratch-offs at Christopher’s Fine Foods, which is located at 5570 Shady Side Road in Churchton.