JACKPOT WINNER WHITTAKER ROBBED - $545,000 Recovered

(08/06/2003)

This could have been a easy come, easy go story. Police reported that $314 million dollar Powerball winner Jack Whittaker was drinking at a Cross Lanes strip club when $545,000 was stolen from his vehicle. Whittaker was the largest Powerball winner ever, he elected to take the cash option of $155,468,282.35 . Whittaker arrived at the Pink Pony in Cross Lanes at about 9:30 p.m. Monday and later went to a motel to meet an unidentified person, returning to the club at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. Whittaker was inside the club, when someone broke a window in his sport-utility vehicle and took a briefcase containing cashier checks and cash. He discovered the broken window at 5 a.m. and called police. The briefcase with the money was found behind a nearby trash bin. Whittaker initially told police he thought there was $800,000 in the briefcase. Whittaker established the Jack Whittaker Foundation, and has given $1.5 million to the Church of God in Hinton, and money to numerous other organizations and individuals. The Church of God, which has numerous anti-gambling statements in its credo, graciously accepted the money. Pastor Welch said "God uses money from everywhere and we consider it a blessing to be able to grow our Church..."

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