Retired Morgan City Police Officer Claims $275,000 Lotto Jackpot Prize

S.J. Morell Jr.'s horoscope said that today would be a day of new beginnings. Morell already knew that the stars were aligned in his favor because he was claiming a $275,000 Lotto jackpot prize. Morell claimed his prize from the Aug. 10 drawing at Lottery headquarters.

Morell, a retired officer with the Morgan City Police Department and native son said the whole town knew he'd won, a story his wife, Gwen tells. "My husband was at home by himself when he was checking his numbers, and when he discovered he won, he made a couple of calls just to get someone to be sure he wasn't mistaken, and by the time we knew he won, everyone else did, too!"

The Morells said that everyone in Morgan City was very excited and happy for them, and while they too are very happy, they'll probably go back to living their normal lives after claiming their prize. "We're real simple people. We'll probably just to continue to live as we've always done, spoil our grandchildren and I'll continue to play the Lottery," S.J. said.

Morell became the eleventh Louisiana Lotto jackpot winner of 2005 and the fourth winner in two weeks. He received $192,500 after federal and state income taxes were withheld.

Morell bought a "quick pick" ticket at Mel-Star Inc. on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Morgan City. The store will receive a one-time bonus of $2,750, or 1 percent of the prize. The winning numbers for the Aug. 10 drawing were 10-18-22-29-32-37.