HOT SPRINGS - A convenience store employee was arrested Tuesday on charges of felony lottery fraud stemming from allegations that he stole lottery tickets from the store earlier this year.
Ronald Evans, 47, of 304 Jerome St., was taken into custody at his residence around 1:45 p.m. on a felony warrant charging lottery fraud and misdemeanor warrants charging theft of property and failure to comply.
Evans, who also had a detainer from Louisiana, was being held in lieu of $6,000 bond and was set to appear Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable-cause affidavit, on Jan. 21, around 3:30 a.m., Evans reportedly took seven Arkansas lottery tickets, valued at $70, from the Valero, 3228 Central Ave. Evans was an employee of the store but was not on duty at the time of the theft.
Hot Springs police officer Richard Davis viewed security video of the incident which reportedly showed Evans going behind the counter, removing the tickets and then walking to the restroom. After several minutes, he emerged from the restroom without the tickets being visible and left the store.
On Feb. 7, detective Shawn Stillian was contacted by Michael Tenison, an investigator with the Arkansas Lottery Commission, who stated that on Jan. 21, shortly after 10 a.m., one of the stolen lottery tickets from the Valero was redeemed for a cash prize of $15 at the Exxon station at 1200 Central Ave.
Tenison provided Stillian with security-camera photos that showed a man redeeming the stolen ticket. Stillian was reportedly able to identify the man in the photos as Evans by comparing them with Evans' driver's license photo.
Warrants were later issued for Evans' arrest on the fraud and theft charges.
Metro on 06/13/2019