Brothers celebrate lottery win by blowing up house

Feb 18, 2013, 12:59 pm (60 comments)

Kansas Lottery

Two brothers who were celebrating a $75,000 winning lottery ticket by purchasing marijuana and meth accidentally blew up their house on Friday, said Sgt. Bruce Watts of the Wichita Police Department.

The explosion sent one of the brothers — a 27-year-old — to the hospital, where he remains in serious but stable condition with second-degree burns on his hands, arms and chest.

The other brother was sent to jail, Watts said.

The brothers were in a house in the 100 block of North Nevada Court, near Douglas and West Street, about 7 p.m. Friday, Watts said. One of the brothers went to the kitchen to refuel the butane torches they planned to use to light their bongs. He emptied a couple of large cans of butane lighter fluid, leaking butane into the air.

"The butane vapor reached the pilot light in the furnace, and as you might expect, ka-boom," Watts said.

The victim was wearing a lottery T-shirt during the explosion.

The man's girlfriend loaded him and her kids into a car and drove him to Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis for treatment of second-degree burns to his hands, chest and arms. She sped off and has not been found.

Officers went to the house with a warrant, where the other brother ran out, admitting he had marijuana and methamphetamine. He was arrested.

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Thanks to hearsetrax for the tip.

Wichita Eagle

Comments

LottoPerro

Funny and stupid at the same time.  The title of the story made me LOL, celebrating a lottery win by blowing up a house.

Lucky4Life's avatarLucky4Life

God is having a grand old chuckle on this one.  I can't even hit $2 on powerball last 2 draws and these fools get to blow $75K.  Makes me want to cry and scream at the same time.

KyMystikal's avatarKyMystikal

I don't know why the movie "Half Baked" came to mind?

plumsage's avatarplumsage

and the kicker is now the money is going to have to go to bail, hospital bills (if he doesn't have insurance) and a lawyer if this goes to trial.

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

haha excuse me while I laugh at this one. The two brothers should contact Joseph Taglieri https://www.lotterypost.com/news/234380 and form a club

Ronnie316

I like the "girlfriend seen speeding away" part. Probably the smartest thing she has ever done. I hope she and the kids do well with the remainder of the $75k. lol. lol. lol.

Lucky4Life's avatarLucky4Life

better call Saul! lol

Ronnie316

Quote: Originally posted by maringoman on Feb 18, 2013

haha excuse me while I laugh at this one. The two brothers should contact Joseph Taglieri https://www.lotterypost.com/news/234380 and form a club

I Agree!

Ronnie316

Quote: Originally posted by plumsage on Feb 18, 2013

and the kicker is now the money is going to have to go to bail, hospital bills (if he doesn't have insurance) and a lawyer if this goes to trial.

Hopefully girlfriend and kids got the money.

HoLeeKau's avatarHoLeeKau

Quote: Originally posted by Ronnie316 on Feb 18, 2013

Hopefully girlfriend and kids got the money.

Why???  She had her kids at a house where Darryl and his other brother Darryl were going to be doing drugs.  You telling me she wouldn't have been doing it too if the house hadn't sploded?  Maybe that's why she sped off, because she was already high and didn't want to go to jail.

surimaribo24's avatarsurimaribo24

Now this is the funiest sht ive read for the day ...

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Sounds like a scene from a Cheech and Chong movie.

surimaribo24's avatarsurimaribo24

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Feb 18, 2013

Sounds like a scene from a Cheech and Chong movie.

Green laugh

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

How stupid & idiotic, he should have use the money to go too rehab so he could be a good dad to his kids.

joshuacloak's avatarjoshuacloak

u cant fix stupid , u can however give stupid people money and watch them destroy them selfs in process

happens all the time. 

 sudden lottery  money for these type of people is putting there  Stupidity on steroids , as these morons have just proven

also meth, that stuff steals people youth like nonething i ever seen,

 if it was just pot, i go  "o  how great! some 2 high morons blow up a house GG" but these morons just had to mixed meth into it to prove without a doubt there just stupid as get out.

 

there always going to be stupid people playin  the lottery, 

and they will win!              as there numbers are much 2  large not 2.

 

 

ether way, i look forward to next stupidity  lesson future lottery winners give us

 

stupid people deserve what they get,

RedStang's avatarRedStang

Good way to get rid of the roaches.

noise-gate

Hope this guy lives..

The most memorable line of this whole affair " The victim was wearing his lottery  T-shirt at the time of the explosion"

emilyg's avataremilyg

No way - she endangered her children.  Just as guilty as brothers are.

sully16's avatarsully16

Quote: Originally posted by dallascowboyfan on Feb 18, 2013

How stupid & idiotic, he should have use the money to go too rehab so he could be a good dad to his kids.

So true, but ya know dallas, we can't fix stupid, and thats what they are, morons.

fwlawrence's avatarfwlawrence

I hope they can find a new house for under $75,000.

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Quote: Originally posted by fwlawrence on Feb 18, 2013

I hope they can find a new house for under $75,000.

they deserve to be homeless and living under a bridge .... but thats just me

LottoBoner

How much butane does it take to light a joint?  These guys should have just gone to 7-11 for some matches.

I bet these guys were investing in a meth lab, and thats MORE likely why their house blew up.

JAP69's avatarJAP69

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Feb 18, 2013

Sounds like a scene from a Cheech and Chong movie.

maximumfun's avatarmaximumfun

wow... just wow.

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

It appears that the Wichita Eagle needs to replace this writer and/or headline creator.  This person doesn't understand key fundamentals of tense and logical headline-to-article corresponding.

It is too bad that this woman/homeowner had poor judgement.  Also, bad that this woman/homeowner and her two children lost their home.  Hopefully, there is appropriate level homeowners' insurance, explosion was an accident (she/homeowner and both children didn't know about fuel burners and bongs), adequate private temp housing provided immediately, and all expenses involved in house replacement claim are covered.  Best that this woman and her children not be involved with these two brothers, or anyone, any further.

I hope that the older brother (non-lottery-half-winner-party) mends quickly from burns; this article doesn't indicate if he was the brother who re-fueled the 2 canisters for the "bong" use.  I think that the younger brother who is in jail will lose the remainder of his lottery winnings to a defense lawyer and state jail fines. 

Snowman

karinda's avatarkarinda

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Feb 18, 2013

Sounds like a scene from a Cheech and Chong movie.

Big Smile

karinda's avatarkarinda

It takes the expression, "Blew through the money" to a whole new level. Oogle

LottoBoner

Quote: Originally posted by HoLeeKau on Feb 18, 2013

Why???  She had her kids at a house where Darryl and his other brother Darryl were going to be doing drugs.  You telling me she wouldn't have been doing it too if the house hadn't sploded?  Maybe that's why she sped off, because she was already high and didn't want to go to jail.

NEAT

ScaredHA! That's funny!

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