Knightdale couple can finally get married after winning $250,000 lottery prize

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A Knightdale couple can make their dreams of getting married come true thanks to a $250,000 winning lottery ticket.

Fredrick Richardson said he plans to use part of his lottery prize for a wedding.

"My girlfriend and I have wanted to get married for a while," Richardson said. "It just got pushed to the back burner since we didn't have the funds. But now we finally can."

The cook's good fortune happened Saturday when he stopped at the Shop N Go on N.C. 39 in Zebulon and bought a Hit $500 scratch-off ticket.

"I saw that I had a match," Richardson said. "I thought I'd probably won $5 or $50, but then I finished scratching. I started crying and thinking, 'Is this for real?' When I showed my girlfriend, she started crying and the first thing she said was, 'We can finally get married.'"

He claimed his prize Monday at the lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $176,249. Richardson also plans to get a new Chevy Equinox.

The $5 ticket launched earlier this month with six top prizes of $250,000.

Four top prizes remain.