$200,000 lottery prize means a dream home for Bladen County mechanic

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Clarkton man says he plans to buy his dream home after he won a $200,000 lottery prize.

“I’m not sure what the home will look like yet,” James Todd said. “I never thought I’d be in a position to do this. Right now, my dream is just to have something in my name.”

The auto mechanic’s good fortune started when he stopped at the Sun-Do Kwik Shop on Elizabethtown Road in Lumberton on his way to work. While there, he tried his luck and bought a $5 The BIG SPIN scratch-off ticket.

“I thought I was looking at a fake ticket,” Todd said. “I didn’t believe it until I took it to the claim center to have them check it.”

Once he realized what he won, he immediately called his mother to share the good news.

“I told her, ‘Mom. I’m freaking out right now. I just won a ton of money,’” Todd said. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Todd, accompanied by his mother, spun the BIG SPIN prize wheel Tuesday during a live event in Raleigh. Todd said he already knew how he was going to spin the wheel before he came in.

”I’m going to give the wheel a pretty decent spin and hope for the best,” Todd said.

An excited crowd cheered Todd on as he stepped up to the wheel, grabbed the side, and gave it a spin. When the wheel stopped on $200,000 a burst of confetti flew through the air and he celebrated by giving his mother a big hug.

“This feels good,” Todd said. “Really good.”

After required state and federal tax withholdings, Todd took home $141,763.