Michigan man arrested for impersonating lottery worker, stealing tickets

Apr 15, 2016, 9:01 am (19 comments)

Michigan Lottery

Lake Orion police have arrested a suspected thief who they say posed as a lottery agent at several Oakland and Macomb county CVS stores in order to steal Michigan Lottery scratch-off tickets.

Police Chief Jerry Narsh says investigators found "unique clothing" at the Pontiac home of David Witherspoon, 40, that also appears in store surveillance videos.

Narsh said when officers confronted him, he confessed, saying, "I just have to steal."

Narsh says Lake Orion police were called to the CVS Store on South Broadway on Feb. 10 on a report of a theft of lottery tickets. CVS management told officers that the Michigan lottery agent who services the scratch-off ticket display reported an anomaly at that location.

The lottery official said there had been reports of someone posing as a lottery agent at several Macomb and Oakland locations in an attempt to steal tickets.

Store management discovered that on Jan. 26 and Jan. 29, surveillance videos showed that it appeared that the same man accessed the lottery display by convincing store employees he was there to service it. About $1,350 in scratch-off tickets were stolen, Narsh said.

Lake Orion police worked with investigators from the Michigan Lottery Commission and collected videos from other CVS locations that showed the same man was apparently responsible for actual or attempted fraud with lottery tickets.

Store videos provided information on a suspect vehicle and clothing worn, including a jacket with distinctive emblems, Narsh said.

Detectives at the Warren Police Department provided a fingerprint from an incident in that community that led to Witherspoon, Narsh said.

Lake Orion police executed a search warrant at Witherspoon's home and discovered lottery tickets and other evidence that connected Witherspoon to the crimes, he said.

Witherspoon was arraigned Tuesday before 52/3 District Court Magistrate Marie Soma on one count of first-degree retail fraud, a five-year felony.

He will appear before District Judge Lisa Asadoorian for a preliminary exam April 28.

Narsh said Witherspoon has an extensive criminal history, including multiple convictions for felony retail fraud, receiving and concealing stolen property, auto theft, possession of heroin and bank robbery. The suspect was being held in the Oakland County Jail with a $10,000 cash bond. 

"This arrest would not have occurred without the cooperation between investigators at the Lake Orion Police Department, the state of Michigan lottery commission and investigators in multiple jurisdictions including the Warren, Sterling Heights and Auburn Hills police departments by sharing evidence and information, allowing for case closures in multiple communities," Narsh said.

Witherspoon was in the Oakland County Jail on a charge of fleeing and eluding police in Wixom when officers identified him as a suspect in the lottery thefts and he remains in custody.

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

Macomb Daily News, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

rcbbuckeye's avatarrcbbuckeye

That dude is the definition of an "idiot".

He constantly looks for ways to get thrown in jail. LOL.

gocart1's avatargocart1

I'M JUST GLAD SOMEONE WATCHES THIS STUFF..NEW YORK STATE LOTTERY NEVER SEEMS TO CARE ABOUT LOTTERY FRAUD.PartyUS FlagParty

LOTTOKING2016

Blame poverty not this guy he had to do it

Todd's avatarTodd

Quote: Originally posted by LOTTOKING2016 on Apr 15, 2016

Blame poverty not this guy he had to do it

I hope you're joking.

music*'s avatarmusic*

 I hope that he gets help in prison. Mental therapy. Plus medications. 

 He better not learn how to become a better criminal. 

 He sounds like a kleptomaniac. A person who must steal.

 Great police work on both the cities and lottery sides.

CARBOB

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on Apr 15, 2016

I hope you're joking.

Unfortunately, he isn't joking. They use every excuse to justify crimes.

noise-gate

As they say out here on the West Coast " Lock his A*** up! " No get out of jail free card here, poverty my A***. No slap on the wrists either.

You give a mouse a cookie, it's gonna want a glass of milk...put that butt behind bars!

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Quote: Originally posted by CARBOB on Apr 15, 2016

Unfortunately, he isn't joking. They use every excuse to justify crimes.

I Agree!

LiveInGreenBay's avatarLiveInGreenBay

Look at that guys rap sheet.  Everything from car theft, heroin and bank robbery.  They let him out on a $10,000.00 cash bond?  He'll do it again and why not.  Maybe next time he'll kill someone over a winning ticket.  We've seen that before.

Artist77's avatarArtist77

Is this guy Import chips? (aka i-chipster).  For those of you who remember, he claimed to be a lottery employee....and many other things. Lol

LiveInGreenBay's avatarLiveInGreenBay

So?  How does that explain bank robbery?   You a liberal?

Think's avatarThink

I wonder what is going to happen to those scratchers...

Are they going to get permanently removed from circulation?

If they are then I would hope that the Michigan State Lottery would be honest and remove the prizes from the "prizes Available" lists on the official website.

I wrote MSL and asked about what "prizes available" meant and they do not remove any prizes from those lists until the prizes are claimed.

If those tickets are going to sit in evidence until they expire or if they never go back into circulation then the MSL should go through all the stolen tickets and remove those prizes from the "Available" columns  on the official website.  It would be completely dishonest and maybe even fraudulent if they didn't remove those prizes if they know they are never going to be available!

Todd, can you find out what is going to happen to those prizes on the stolen tickets?

LOTTOKING2016

Quote: Originally posted by CARBOB on Apr 15, 2016

Unfortunately, he isn't joking. They use every excuse to justify crimes.

Yaaa and U bow down to Legal criminals aka Senator etc ha bahahaa

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