SC woman arrested for cashing in winning lottery tickets, SLED says. Here’s why

A teenager was recently arrested after she cashed in winning lottery tickets at a Circle K, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The tickets had previously been stolen, SLED said Monday in a news release.

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On Aug. 18, Kelis Cordasha Haynes, a 19-year-old from North Charleston, was charged with three counts of intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, according to the release.

Haynes stole lottery tickets from the Circle K at 1811 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in Charleston, where she worked, and on three days — Feb. 16, 24 and 25 — the teen redeemed the games for a cash payout at the same gas station/convenience store, according to an arrest warrant.

Haynes was identified by store management and recorded by surveillance cameras, both stealing and cashing the tickets at the same Circle K, the arrest warrant shows.

Information about the number of tickets that were passed and the amount of prize money that was received for the stolen games was not available.

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Haynes was booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center in Charleston County, but was released the same day she was arrested after being issued a $5,000 personal recognizance bond for each count, court records show. She’s scheduled to appear in court again on Oct. 9, according to judicial records.

She will be prosecuted by the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, according to the release.

If convicted on the felony charges, Haynes faces a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for each count, according to South Carolina law.

The SLED investigation was requested by South Carolina Education Lottery.