LANSING, Mich. — A man is locked up in Livingston County after thousands of dollars worth of lottery tickets went missing.
Fowlerville Police said the scratch-off tickets disappeared over a 10-month period.
Many of the stolen tickets were worth more than $1,000, which surprised many people in the small town.
"I didn't even know Fowlerville had that much. Really, that's unbelievable, unbelievable," said Mary Crofoot, a resident of Fowlerville.
Crofoot said she's not too surprised someone would steal lottery tickets from the BP station on Grand River Avenue.
"I've been burned with a fake $100 bill, so I know they are out there, geez that's unreal," she said.
Christopher Bandy was charged with embezzlement of $100,000 or more, according to court records, on January 21.
Police told FOX 47 Bandy was a maintenance worker for the Fowlerville store when stacks of lottery tickets went missing.
"We deal with embezzlement, but not to this scale or this in depth," said Fowlerville Police Chief John Tyler.
Tyler said anywhere from 5 to 10 $30 scratch-off tickets went missing at a time.
Fowlerville Police told FOX 47 that Bandy was caught on surveillance footage deleting footage each time a pack of tickets were stolen. The footage would then resume, showing him walking out of the store.
The winning lottery tickets were cashed in at stores in the Howell and Brighton areas.
Tyler said that the items bought with the winnings, like a boat and multiple vehicles, were seized by the Fowlerville Police.
Crofoot said crimes like this are becoming a sign of the times.
"I could never do it, but then there's people who don't have a conscience, they don't care who they burn, how much it hurts," Crofoot said.
Chief John Tyler confirmed that Bandy is also on federal probation for a previous conviction.
Bandy's next court date is January 28 in 53rd District Court.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Want to see more local news ? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Appleand Android
and
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
