On Tuesday morning, three Orangeburg, South Carolina, police officers stopped a man accused of trying to cash in a stolen lottery ticket at the Corner Pantry store.

The convenience store incident was caught on tape.

"I just think he was a dumb crook," explained cashier Wanda Lowden.

He learned a tough lesson being taken down by three police officers after he tried to cash a stolen lottery ticket. And the police officers — they just "happened" to be waiting in line.

"Talk about bad timing," said Captain Mike Adams.

Chadwich Stevenson is the man Orangeburg police say did it.

"I don't think I'll ever forget this," recalls Lowden.

It happened Tuesday morning around 8'oclock at the Corner Pantry. Wanda Lowden and another cashier were working behind the counter when they say a man walked in and tried to cash a lottery ticket.

It was business as usual until they got a message from the lottery machine showing "call lottery."

"Most of the time, when they tell us to call lottery, it's letting us know that it is a stolen ticket," says Lowden. Wanda says it was — but instead of letting the man that gave it to her know, she told him he she had to check something with the Lottery Commission.

Meanwhile, Wanda noticed an Orangeburg cop who walked in. Carefully, she says she was able to get his attention. "I just told him don't move."

Then, Captain Mike Adams walked in. Wanda says he immediately knew something was up. Captain Adams said, "The old adage that you don't know who's watching you is very true."

At that point, the man was still waiting for his ticket.

Little did he know that another cop was about to make his way in. When all three were in line, Wanda says she knew it was time. She told the man with the ticket that it showed up stolen.

When the man tried to leave, police say they found another 400 stolen lottery tickets on him. He only tried his luck at one.

Captain Adams calls it "just another day at the job."

The ticket was a Cash Bonanza, and it was only worth $15.

Lowden says, "Wish he had got to scratch the rest of them. Maybe he would have bail money by now."

Stevenson is being charged with one count of stolen goods. He could get up to 30 days in jail.

30 days sounds like a light sentence for 400 stolen lottery tickets!

At first it does, but it's probably just a petty theft conviction.  I wonder if the amount is based on the 400 tickets or the $15 prize?  If he had scratched off the other 399 and won a million dollars, would that be grand theft if he attempted to cash it?  Something is missing from this story.  Where did he get them in the first place?  Obviously this young man is needy if he rushed to collect $15.   I don't think a long jail sentence for a non-violent crime is necessary.

Better that he was caught doing this than after some violent crime.

Now, when are we going to add a little chlorine to the gene pool?