“Lucky Lindy” was a nickname given to aviator Charles Lindbergh for his daring exploits, but it also can apply to a Surry County man where state lottery winnings are concerned.
Lindy Inman of Mount Airy plucked down the small sum of $5 only to see it turn into a $250,000 prize, North Carolina Education Lottery officials announced this week.
Inman had bought his ticket at R Stop, listed as a convenience store on West Pine Street in the Brintle’s Truck Stop area west of Mount Airy.
He was participating in a 20X The Cash contest of the state lottery, whereby players hope to match their numbers to winning ones. By then revealing a “2X”, “5X”, “10X” or “20X” symbol, their prize is multiplied by that number.
Inman was able to win the maximum of $250,000 offered through the 20X The Cash game, which debuted in February with 10 top prizes of that sum. At last report, five were still to be claimed.
The Mount Airy man claimed his winnings at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Tuesday and after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $178,751.
While some lottery beneficiaries have definite plans for their extra cash windfall, none emerged from Inman.
“Unfortunately, he did not tell me what he planned to do with the money,” lottery spokesman Jonathan LaRowe advised Friday afternoon.
Inman otherwise could not be reached for comment. He is listed by one online source as an employee of an electrical company in Rural Hall, but that could not be confirmed.
While others besides Inman have won sums in the $250,000 range in recent years, the last reported mega lottery winner in Surry County was a woman who snagged a $1 million prize in a “Bankroll” game in June 2021.
Julia Dowell of Cana, Virginia, had paid $10 for a ticket in the scratch-off contest at the Speedway convenience store on Rockford Street in Mount Airy.
The Carroll County resident was given the option of receiving the $1 million prize as an annuity of $50,000 a year for 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000.
Dowell chose the lump sum and took home $424,503 after required federal and state tax withholdings.
In announcing the prize won by Lindy Inman, lottery officials also related this week that Surry County had received a $1.7 million school construction grant from lottery proceeds to support education programs in the county.
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