Gas station employee accused of taking scratch-off tickets, winnings during Lexington shifts
A man accused of stealing and scratching off lottery tickets at the Lexington gas station where he worked in 2016 wa indicted this week on a charge of theft.
Derrick DeWayne Minniefield, 40, is charged with attempting to win a lottery prize by tampering and theft of more than $500, according to court records. He was indicted by a grand jury on Monday.
Police were first alerted on Oct. 3, 2016, when the manager of the Marathon gas station at 1900 Newtown Pike reported that Minniefield, an employee at the time, had taken $1,062 worth of scratch-off tickets, according to court records.
Minniefield is accused of selecting tickets, scratching them, scanning the winners and paying himself during his nighttime shift, according to court records. The manager told police he worked at the Marathon station from Aug. 18, 2016, to Sept. 18, 2016.
The manager told police she had surveillance video that showed Minniefield taking and scanning the tickets, according to court records.
When Minniefield was confronted about the situation, he told the manager he would “make it right,” but the manager told investigators he never returned to pay back the money, according to court records.
The Marathon manager provided a spreadsheet to investigators that showed the shortage of lottery tickets that occurred on days Minniefield was working, according to court records.
An investigator called Minniefield, who said he would pay back the money by Dec. 9, 2016, according to court records. Minniefield reportedly asked for multiple extensions and had repaid none of the money by Dec. 29, 2016.
It’s unclear why it took more than two years for charges to be filed.
Influencing or attempting to influence the winning of a lottery prize “through the use of coercion, fraud, deception, or tampering with lottery equipment or materials,” is a class B felony, according to state law. Theft by unlawful taking of more than $500, but less than $10,000, is a class D felony.
Minniefield was released on a surety bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 9.
This story was originally published July 30, 2019 at 3:46 PM.
