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Northern Kentucky man arrested days after winning $250K on lottery scratch-off

Joseph Hellard
Posted at 6:09 PM, Mar 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-04 19:31:23-05

ERLANGER, Ky. — A Northern Kentucky man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine just days after a "life-changing" Kentucky Lottery scratch-off win.

The Kentucky Lottery said Joseph Hellard of Elsmere won $250,000 on a $10 100X scratch-off ticket he purchased at the Elsmere Mini Mart Saturday.

"I fell to the ground on my knees. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing," Hellard said to lottery officials. "Everything we’ve been through, it’s sure going to help."

Two days after claiming his prize, Hellard was pulled over on Dixie Highway in Erlanger at around 1 a.m. with an expired registration. According to a police report, officers requested a canine as they searched the vehicle. Police found a glass smoking pipe "containing a white crystal substance" believed to be meth between the driver's seat and the center console.

Hellard was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia and driving with no registration plates.

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