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JACKPOT! Part-time Rankin police officer claims $1M Powerball ticket

PITTSBURGH — A West View man has claimed a winning Powerball ticket worth $1 million, according to Pennsylvania Lottery officials.

Matthew Brown purchased the winning ticket May 23 at Super Stop in Rankin, lottery officials said.

Brown, a part-time police officer in Rankin, will receive a cash payout, minus 25 percent federal withholding.

Brown plays the Powerball at the convenience store from time to time, and spent $6 on three Quick Picks May 23, according to a story on the lottery's website.

(Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report)

“Then I totally forgot about it,” Brown said, according to the website.

A few days later, Brown said he checked the May 24 drawing results online.

“At first, I didn't believe it. I thought someone was playing a joke on me,” he told the lottery.

After checking the ticket at the store, he called his wife, Jennifer, to tell her the news.

“She thought I was joking and hung up on me,” he told the lottery.

https://twitter.com/palottery/status/474199657296699392

Brown said he plans to use the winnings to pay bills and plan for his children's future college costs, and possibly take a vacation.

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