Cleveland County Mom Started Crying After $394,216 Jackpot Win
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RALEIGH, N.C. (News Release) —Kings Mountain resident Ashley Helms and her fiancé are preparing for the birth of their second child and a $394,216 Cash 5 jackpot win came ‘at the perfect time.’
“We are expecting our second baby in about three months,” Helms said. “This will definitely help us prepare for that.” Helms bought her lucky Quick Pick using Online Play. Her ticket matched all five numbers to win the jackpot in Tuesday’s drawing. Two other tickets also matched all five numbers in the $1.18 million drawing so each winner received $394,216.
“When I first looked and I saw I won, I just put my phone down in disbelief,” Helms recalled. “Then I started crying.” Helms said she immediately called out to her fiancé to tell him the news.
“I yelled, ‘Babe, babe, come look at the phone,’” she said.
Helms claimed her prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required federal and state tax withholdings, she took home $280,880. In addition to preparing for her second child, Helms said she will invest some of the money.
Cash 5 is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Monday’s Cash 5 jackpot is $100,000.
Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.8 million a day on average for education. The state provided $28.5 million in grants, using money raised by the lottery, to help Cleveland County with school construction. For details on other ways Cleveland County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.
