Florida Walmart employee arrested after winning lottery ticket allegedly stolen

A Florida Walmart employee is facing felony charges after allegedly pocketing a customer's winning lottery ticket worth $2,700. Tameka Hall, 40, was arrested on a grand theft charge, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

The incident occurred on June 14 at a Walmart in DeLand. Police say a customer presented a winning ticket to Hall, who then informed him that the store could not provide the prize money. Hall allegedly gave the customer instructions on how to claim the winnings, but instead of returning the ticket, she folded it and placed it in her uniform vest pocket, according to an arrest affidavit.

When the customer realized the ticket was missing, he returned to the store, but it could not be found. Store management reviewed security footage, which reportedly showed Hall placing the ticket in her pocket after assisting the customer. Hall then left work for the day without returning the ticket.

Authorities stated that Hall told officers the next day she had intended to return the ticket to a manager and was unaware the customer needed the physical ticket to claim his winnings. She claimed another customer's arrival prompted her to put the ticket in her pocket. Police located the ticket in Hall's car, and she was subsequently arrested and released on a $2,500 bond.