VERONA, Ky. — A bathroom break for two Louisville men turned into a big Powerball win!
Michael Brown and Steve Conley were headed back from seeing a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Cincinnati when they stopped in Verona, Kentucky for a bathroom break on the way home, according to a news release.
It was here that they noticed the high Powerball jackpot.
“I normally don’t even play, but for some reason, I decided I wanted a Quick Pick. So he's like, ‘Well, I'll buy one too.’ I said, ‘Dude, we'll split it,’” Brown said.
The next day, lottery officials said Conley and Brown were waiting in line to get into the flea market when they remembered to check the ticket.
“He pulled out his phone, looked at it, and he started shaking,” Conley said.
The two men had matched the first four numbers and the Powerball on the Dec. 30 drawing -- winning the $50,000 third prize.
“I just took the ticket, put it in my pocket, and kept my hand on it. I told him, ‘There’s no way I can concentrate on buying junk when I’ve got $50,000 in my pocket’,” Brown said.
Lottery officials said Brown went home and buried the ticket in his safe until they could claim the prize.
The two men came to lottery headquarters the following Tuesday to claim their prize. They told lottery officials they plan to use the money to recover from Christmas gifts and then put the rest into savings.
“The only thing that would have made it better was if he wasn’t in with me,” Brown said.
Officials said Verona Hop Shop on Verona-Mudlick Road will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
