Retired sergeant was in for quite the shock

By Kate Northrop

A Virginia Army veteran initially dismissed the news that someone had won a $958,740 Cash 5 jackpot, but what he did not know was that he was the winner.

Retired Army sergeant Christopher Leydic noticed the Cash 5 jackpot had reset to its starting amount, indicating someone had won, but he didn't realize he was the winner.

"Oh, somebody won it," Leydic thought to himself when he saw the Cash 5 jackpot had dropped from $958,740 to $200,000.

Leydic was shocked when he checked his ticket for the August 17 drawing. He matched all five numbers — 10, 15, 31, 36, and 43 — with the ticket he purchased online.

"It was unbelievable!" he told the Virginia Lottery. "I thought, 'Is this real?'"

Leydic, who retired from the Army as a first sergeant after 21 years of service, plans to use the prize money for savings and to pay bills.

The Cash 5 jackpot currently stands at $240,000 for the drawing on Mon., Aug. 26. Cash 5 drawings take place every day at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The odds of matching all five numbers to win the game's rolling jackpot are 1 in 1,221,759.

All winning numbers, odds, and prize amounts can be found on Lottery Post's Virginia Lottery Results page right after each drawing.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Retired Army sergeant Christopher Leydic holds his ceremonial check for winning the Virginia Lottery's Cash 5 game.