Burgaw firefighter claims $150,000 Powerball win

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — There may not have been a jackpot winner in Saturday’s Powerball, but a Pender County couple is more than $100,000 richer after the lottery drawing.

Michael Snipes said today he was still in shock after cashing in his winning ticket for $150,000 in Raleigh. The volunteer firefighter from Burgaw said his hands were shaking as he checked his tickets, according to the NC Education Lottery.

“I was in nervous shock,” he said, according to a news release. “I called my wife and told her, ‘You won’t believe it, I think we hit something big here.’”

His wife Laurie said when her husband called she told him he “better not be lying.”

Snipes walked away with $103,875 after taxes. He plans to use the money to pay bills and take his family to Disney.

Snipes bought the winning ticket at the Freshway Food Mart on US 117 in Rocky Point.

Ashley Cook from Clayton also claimed a $150,000 Powerball prize today.

Both players bought $3 Power Play tickets. They matched four of the five white balls and the red Powerball. The prize tripled from $50,000 to $150,000 when the 3x multiplier was drawn for Power Play tickets.

Wednesday’s jackpot has reached $1.4 billion with an estimated lump sum of $868 million, lottery officials say.