This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
On September 18, 2017, a jackpot winner's luck turned sour when she was followed by a thief who stole her $5,000 (Sh515, 000) winnings at gunpoint.
Thomas Ray Ball Jr., of Clinton, reportedly watched the jackpot winner get into her car from the casino and followed her for more than 50 miles to an ATM where she was trying to deposit her winnings.
At the ATM, Ball approached the woman, pulled a gun on her, and took her winnings.
“Mr. Ball thought he saw an easy target when he saw a single woman leaving the casino late at night and followed her for over an hour with the sole purpose of robbing her at gunpoint,” said Madison and Rankin Counties' District Attorney John K. Bramlett, Jr.
The woman was able to drive away and found help from an officer at a nearby gas station where she stopped and asked for assistance.
Using surveillance footage from the casino and cell phone tower location, officers were able to identify Ball and bring him to justice.
On August 19, 2019, Thomas Ball pleaded guilty to armed robbery and was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
