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NC man wins lottery with ticket he’d forgotten he bought

ASHEBORO, N.C. — A North Carolina man claimed half of a nearly $392,000 lottery jackpot last week after belatedly realizing that he’d picked winning numbers on a ticket he’d forgotten about, officials with the North Carolina Education Lottery said.

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Gregory Warren, a mechanic living in Franklinville, claimed half the jackpot Tuesday for winning the Sept. 29 Carolina Cash 5 drawing, officials said. He had forgotten to check his ticket until Monday, five days after the winning numbers were drawn.

After taxes, he took home about $139,000.

“I forgot about it,” he said Tuesday, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery. “I’m still kind of shocked. I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night.”

He added that he plans to start a lawnmowing business with the funds.

“I’ve got a 14-year-old son and I (want to) get a business started so that he’ll have something to do when he graduates from high school,” he said.

Cash 5 tickets cost $1 each and offer a one in about 962,600 chance of winning a jackpot. Drawings are held every night.

Warren told officials on Tuesday that he usually doesn’t buy lottery tickets, but he picked one up while stopping for gas after work last month to try his luck.

“It just so happens I picked a good day to buy one!” he said, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.