LA GRANDE, Ore. (KPTV) – A convenience store employee has been charged with stealing a $25,000 lottery ticket, according to the Oregon Lottery.

On Thursday, September 19, detectives from the Oregon State Police Lottery Security Section gave a winning ticket to an employee at the Short Stop, located at 1709 Gekeler Lane in La Grande. Employees scanned the tickets and said there were no winners, keeping a $25,000 winning ticket.

The winning ticket was then placed “on hold” by Oregon Lottery staff.

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The Oregon Lottery says the store employee mailed the winning ticket, along with the Lottery Winner Claim Form and signed the statement, on Sept. 26 in an attempt to redeem the prize.

After being interviewed by detectives, the store employee, whose name has not been released, was cited for first-degree theft and computer crime. The Oregon Lottery says charges of first-degree theft by deception and forgery are being referred to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.

According to the Oregon Lottery, Short Stop has been a lottery retailer since 2005 and has no history of compliance issues.

“While it is rare to see a rogue individual at one of our merchants, we have a responsibility to ensure that our games are played with fairness and integrity,” said Justin Hedlund, Oregon Lottery Deputy Chief Security Officer. “These checks are one way we do that.”

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The Oregon Lottery says undercover checks are routinely conducted by OSP at retailers throughout the year, with more than 170 conducted since 2020.

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