Making a snack run leads to $1 million lottery jackpot

May 15 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man said making a snack run paid off when he won a $1 million jackpot from a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Stephen Howell of Graham told North Carolina Education Lottery officials he went to the Fairview One Stop in Haw River to pick up some drinks and snacks for his family and decided to buy a few $10 scratch-off tickets while at the store.

Howell later scratched the tickets off at home and discovered one of the tickets, a Red Hot Millions scratch-off, was a $1 million winner.

The astonished winner said he rushed into the next room to tell his mother.

"I handed her the ticket," he recalled. "And she said, 'You won a million dollars!'"

Howell said the win caused much celebration for his family.

"They all have decided that they'd like a cut of it," he said. "Now whether or not they get it is a different matter!"

Howell said he is considering a new car purchase with his winnings.

"Everyone's picked out cars for me," he said.