$50K Lottery Ticket Claimed By 66-Year-Old HoCo Man

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 66-year-old Howard County resident was stunned when he scanned his weekly Lottery tickets purchase at a retailer.

“The message said it was a $50,000 winner,” he said. “I didn’t believe it, so I scanned it again. The same message came up. I still didn’t really believe it, so I scanned my other tickets before checking this one again.”

The winner, who used the nickname “Kool Breeze” while claiming his prize, told Lottery officials that he then called his wife of nearly 25 years to share the news.

“She definitely didn’t believe me,” he said.

Since he was en route to work, Kool Breeze placed the winning ticket in his pocket. As soon as he arrived home, he showed it to his equally stunned wife and then locked it up. The couple plans to use the prize money to donate to their church, pay bills and save for retirement.

“I’m also going to buy her a nice ring,” he said.

The lottery player bought the ticket at the 7-Eleven on 9049 Frederick Road in Ellicott City. For selling the winning ticket, the Howard County store received a $500 bonus from the lottery.