Burglar Steals 12,000 Lottery Tickets From Stafford Store: Police

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — The police are asking the public for tips to locate a thief who broke into a Stafford County convenience store over the July Fourth weekend and stole nearly 12,000 scratch-off lottery tickets, worth up to $360,000, and about 170 cartons of cigarettes. The break-in occurred in the early hours of Saturday, July 6, at the Fas-Mart store at 624 Garrisonville Road, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.

A sheriff's deputy responded at 4:35 a.m. Saturday to a burglar alarm at the Fas-Mart and spotted a shattered window in the building, the sheriff's office said. She called other deputies to the scene, and they found an open door.

A K9 unit arrived and searched the building, and the police canvassed the area, but the burglar was not located, the sheriff's office said.

On Monday, the office released a surveillance photo taken early Saturday that shows an unidentified individual crouching inside the store. The individual is wearing a black ski mask, a black jacket and blue jeans.

The owner of the Fas-Mart conducted an inventory and determined that the thief made off with nearly 12,000 scratch-off lottery tickets with values varying between $10 and $30, leading to a loss of between $120,000 and $360,000, the sheriff's office said. The burglar also stole an estimated 170 cartons of cigarettes.

The owner reported nearly 12,000 scratch-off lottery tickets with values varying between $10 and $30 had been taken during the theft, leading to a loss of between $120,000 and $360,000. The suspect also stole an estimated 170 cartons of cigarettes.

The incident remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 658-4400.