ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Months after winning $1M in Mo. Lottery, man wins $2M

ST. LOUIS

The odds against winning $1 million in the Missouri Lottery: Astronomical. How about doing it twice?

It happened to a man from Bonne Terre, Mo., Missouri Lottery officials said Tuesday. Ernest Pullen, 57, won $1 million with a “100 Million Dollar Blockbuster” Scratchers ticket in June. And this month, he won $2 million with a “Mega MONOPOLY” Scratchers ticket.

Pullen, a retired military man who was working at the help desk for a telecommunications company before retiring after the first lottery win, said he considers himself to be a “lucky guy.” You think?

John Wells of the Missouri Lottery said the chances of winning $1 million in the “$100 Million Dollar Blockbuster” game are 1 in 2.28 million. The odds of winning $2 million in “Mega MONOPOLY” are about the same.

The chances of winning both?

Because they’re independent games, it is impossible to calculate the odds, Wells said.

Pullen bought the most recent winning ticket Sept. 17 at Miller’s Quick Shop in Bonne Terre, a community in the Old Lead Belt region of eastern Missouri, about 60 miles southwest of St. Louis. He opted to take the cash payment instead of the annuity for both wins. He received $700,000 for the June winner and will get about $1.3 million for the September winner — both before taxes.

Pullen recalled a dream six years ago in which he won a lot of money. Even after the $1 million win in June, he didn’t feel like the dream was complete. He does now.

Pullen plans to use the money to fix up his new house, which needs a new lakeside wall.

As for the Lottery, he figures he’s about used up his luck, though he still might play the big jackpots on Powerball and Mega Millions.

Library evacuated as police flush out suspect in restroom

MISSOULA, Mont.

Shhhh! Arrest under way.

A man fleeing police after a traffic stop in Missoula, Mont., ran into the city library Wednesday and hid in a restroom, prompting an evacuation while police arrested him.

Police say the man refused to get out of his vehicle during a traffic stop. While driving away, he struck the front tire of a bicycle. Lt. Geron Wade says the bicyclist did not appear to be seriously injured.

Officers responded to the library after someone called police reporting a very nervous-looking man standing on the sidewalk outside.

Wade says an officer spotted the man going into a restroom, and the library was evacuated for about 30 minutes while he was arrested.

Associated Press