Jonesboro mans wins $1 million Lotto jackpot

After hearing that the Sept. 5 Lotto jackpot worth $1,008,781 was hit in his town, Jonesboro resident Terald Reese said he just ‘had a feeling’ that it was him. As soon as he confirmed that he had matched all six numbers during the drawing, Terald made the call of a lifetime to his wife Mandy.

“He said ‘Do me a favor and look at where the Lotto jackpot was won.’” Mandy, who was out of town when her husband called. “I saw that it was in Jonesboro, but I thought he was going to tell me that it was a person near him in line.”

“When he said ‘It was me babe. Can you believe it?’ I just knew he was lying!” she continued. “I was just numb.” The winning ticket was purchased at Murphy USA #5821 on Old Winnfield Road. The store will receive a one-time bonus of $10,087, which is 1 percent of the prize, for selling the winning ticket. “The only other thing we’ve won in our thirty years of marriage is a clock radio,” Mandy said with a laugh, “and he still uses it!” 

Terald said this is his first big win playing the Lottery, but he has recently matched four out of six Lotto numbers during three different drawings. “I thought I would match five next,” he explained. “I wasn’t expecting this!” The average payout for a match-4 Lotto win is $50.

After state and federal tax withholdings, the couple received $716,234.51 and plan to use the windfall to buy a new home. The winning numbers for the Sept. 5 drawing were 16-21-24-28-34-40.

Lottery ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age. Draw-style game tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing. Anyone who may have a gambling problem or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem should call toll free 1-877-770-7867 for help.

For security purposes, the Lottery strongly encourages players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing. More information about Lotto can be found on the Lottery’s website, www.louisianalottery.com/lotto.