Fiancee's fruit craving leads man to $111,902 lottery jackpot

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- A Georgia man visiting his mother in North Carolina said his fiancee's craving for fruit led him to a $111,902 lottery jackpot.

Laney Pulley said he and his fiancee, Michell, were on their way to visit his mother in Spring Hope when they decided to stop by a store.

"I went to pick up my fiancee on the way to see my mother," Pulley told North Carolina Education Lottery officials. "She wanted a watermelon, so we stopped by the Food Lion and I ended up buying some lottery tickets."

Pulley said one of his tickets turned out to be a winner in the July 21 Cash 5 drawing.

"I started looking at the numbers and then at the ticket," he said. "And I couldn't believe it. I had Michell check it just to make sure. She goes, 'I think you won!'"

Pulley claimed his winnings Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. His prize came to $111,902, half of the $223,804 jackpot. He took the lump sum option and went home with $78,896 after federal and state withholdings.

"It's funny," Michell said. "They didn't even have a watermelon! Go figure."