Surveillance video caught a man smashing through a mini mart window, the "22-mile house" in Madera.He headed for the counter... jumps on it...grabs a stack of scratcher lottery tickets…and takes off.
Later that day... he goes from one convenience store to the next, in Fresno.
Now, deputies say he's got an accomplice...and they're tracking both of them cash in.
“There's a serial number on the back...in this case, the ticket this guy stole can be linked back to the 22-mile house,” said Madera County Sheriff’s Spokeswoman Erica Stuart.
Deputies say “USA Gas” in Fresno is one of the first stores they hit. The camera captures a clearer picture of the two.
“They were just like normal customers...just walked in and took off,” said Store Clerk Akeed Saleh.
Cameras show a white man wearing sunglasses and hat; while a younger white man wearing a beanie waits behind him at the register.
The clerk says they cashed 13 scratchers, made a $100 off one ticket, and went on a shopping spree in the store.
“They bought some stuff...groceries and some products,” said Saleh.
Detectives say they hit 16 more stores within the next couple hours…and eventually pocketed about a thousand bucks.
That’s way more than Simon Malm has ever made playing his scratchers.
“People who actually buy ‘em should win. I don't know about people who steal 'em...that's a little unfair,” said Simon Malm who regularly plays lottery.
Clerks say it's hard to believe... they keep getting away.
“So they're one step ahead of us right now but the surveillance tape we're hoping is going to change that,” said Stuart.
