Won $19.12 million from Saturday night's Powerball drawing

Knott County native and Louisville resident Muncie Meade is Kentucky's newest multimillionaire.  The 24-year-old lawn service owner today presented a $19.12 million winning Powerball ticket at Kentucky Lottery headquarters.

Meade has been lucky at lottery play recently, and another smaller win led to this major jackpot.  "I bought a $10 scratch-off ticket last week and won $250," he said. "I took my winnings and bought a $5 Powerball quick-pick ticket."  It was this ticket which netted him the jackpot from Saturday night's drawing.

"I got up Sunday morning, and while I was still in bed I opened up my laptop and checked the lottery's website to see the winning numbers," he said.  "I kept looking at the screen and at my ticket, and I couldn't believe what I saw."

Meade then told his fiancé, 24-year-old Allyson McCormick, the big news.  "I thought he was joking," she laughed.  "I kept looking at the date and at the winning numbers.  People talk about how your chances of winning are like getting hit by lightning, and I couldn't believe what was happening."

In order to make sure he was the winner, Meade went back to the retailer where he bought the ticket to have it checked.  "The clerk scanned the ticket, the screen said 'prize exceeds cashing limit', and I knew I had it," he said.

Sleep was not on the agenda for Meade last night.  "The ticket stayed in my shirt pocket all night, and there was no way I could sleep," he said.  He showed how creased the ticket was, which he said was the result of him opening and closing it so many times to check to make absolutely sure he was the winner.

Meade is a huge University of Kentucky basketball fan, and joked that he'd hoped UK basketball coach John Calipari could have handed him the big four-foot-long ceremonial check.

Meade comes from a humble beginning, "a hard life," as he said. The four boys in his family are two sets of twins, and their mother passed away when he was 16 years old.  She died following injuries sustained in a coal mining accident.  "We've all four been on our own ever since then," Meade said, "and I have to believe mom was looking out for us on Saturday night."

As for the money, Meade plans to invest in his lawn care business (New Leaf Lawn Care), and to buy each of his three brothers their own home.  The rest will be invested, he said, and he and Allyson will soon start to plan their wedding.

"She used to get on me about buying lottery tickets," Meade said with a smile.  "I think she's cool with it now."

Meade chose to take the cash option for his winnings, meaning his payout was $9.56 million.  After 25% federal and 6% state taxes are withheld, $6.6 million will be wired to his checking account within the next two weeks.

The ticket was sold at the Thorntons on 12412 Lagrange Road at the intersection with Chamberlain Lane.  They will receive a selling bonus of $18,450.62 which represents 1% of Kentucky sales since the jackpot was last hit on December 1st.

This is the 18th time Powerball has been won in Kentucky.  The largest jackpot in Kentucky history was hit just last year on Christmas Eve, when Rob and Tuesday Anderson from Georgetown won $128.6 million.

Details on last year's Kentucky Powerball winners:

• Winning ticket announcement
• Store of purchase identified
• The Christmas Eve lottery miracle

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Kentucky Powerball winner Muncie Meade collects his jackpot from Saturday night's drawing, surrounded by his fiancé Allyson McCormick, his father, and his three brothers.

Lets see how this works.. you win 19 million.. you bring home 6 million.. that really SUCKS !!!!

Congrats to Mr. Meade...........only 6 million, that leaves 13 million to the state, robbery.

Lets see how this works.. you win 19 million.. you bring home 6 million.. that really SUCKS !!!!

No the federal and state governments only robbed him of 3.0 million.  The 19 million figure is what he would have received had he chose to receive the annuity option vice the cash value.  The cash value is usually 50% of the advertised annuity amount.  But in any case, the guy is lucky and better off than he was before.  Now all he has to worry about is not becoming the "bank" for all of his families wants and needs as well as keeping good track of his spending versus accrued interest and investment returns...and also drafting up a pre-nupital agreement with his fiancee!  Otherwise, he will be lucky to still be solvent 10 years from now. 

On another note, I sure wouldn't mind a $50 million birthday gift!   My birthday is in 11 days...so I'm loving the MegaMillions jackpot now!

Congrats to Mr. Meade...........only 6 million, that leaves 13 million to the state, robbery.

"......becoming a "bank" for all of his families wants and needs....."

Yeah, Dad seems to have come back into their lives just in time to reap some benefits.

He didn't give anyone who may have thought they bought the winning ticket and lost it a chance to make a claim.

Some nice person (like me) needs to be the first Mega Millions Jackpot Winner from Pennsylvania tonite!