Original Blog Entry: Lottery Winner Facing Drug Charges

Starr920 — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:16:16 GMT

MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN Auburn-area lottery winner Leroy N. Fick has been charged with drug offenses in Isabella County.

Fick, 59, of Williams Township, raised the public ire when it was learned he continued to receive state food assistance after he won the $2 million Make Me Rich! lottery jackpot in 2010.

Prosecutor Larry Burdick authorized charges against Fick after sheriff s deputies discovered prescription painkillers in his possession during a Sunday traffic stop in Chippewa Township.

Fick, who was pulled over for speeding, is facing single felony counts of possession of hydrocodone, 25 to 50 grams, and possession of hydromorphone, as well as possession of analogues and a misdemeanor charge of operating on a suspended license.

Because of a prior drug charge, Fick faces up to eight years in prison for each of the first two charges, up to four years for the third, and 93 days for the misdemeanor.

Fick is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday.

Burdick released no additional information about the case.

Fick also is facing nine misdemeanor charges, primarily traffic offenses, in Bay County, court records show.

State authorities defended Fick s use of a Bridge Card, the electronic alternative to food stamps, saying he is eligible under guidelines that do not consider assets when determining eligibility.

The state Department of Human Services, the agency that administers federal food assistance funds, recently announced a policy change. Effective Oct. 1, the agency will begin factoring in liquid assets.

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