Man used scissors, glue stick to alter lottery tickets into winners, police say

A man was jailed Tuesday because state police say he used scissors and a glue stick to alter lottery tickets into winners and cash them in at a Hempfield convenience store, according to court papers.

Craig Marshall Stout, 45, who has addresses in Mt. Pleasant Borough and Jeannette, is charged with forgery, receiving stolen property, theft and possession of an instrument of crime.

Troopers were called to the 7-Eleven store on Fosterville Road about 12:05 a.m. Tuesday for a reported theft attempt. Police said a man sitting outside on a motorcycle, identified as Stout, tried to pass a counterfeit lottery ticket that appeared to be a $500 winner, according to court papers.

Store employees told police Stout had gotten away with $1,290 in the scam through three fake tickets brought into the store Friday and Sunday. Troopers were provided with security camera footage of the exchanges.

Police seized from Stout a pair of scissors, a glue stick and another lottery ticket that hadn’t been altered, according to court papers. Stout told investigators he was out of work and needed cash. The money had all been spent, police said.

Stout was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bail. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for April 16.

He was sentenced in county court in July to one year on probation and had his driver’s license suspended for six months on charges of accidents involving damage to a vehicle or property and driving without a license in a 2019 case, according to online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for next month on charges, including false identification to law enforcement and driving without a license, filed in February by state police.