Winning Powerball ticket spent a month in oblivious owner's purse

April 19 (UPI) -- A forgotten Powerball ticket that spent a month in a Michigan woman's purse turned out to be a $150,000 winner.

The Michigan Lottery said Jennifer Horton, 41, of Mount Pleasant, bought a ticket for the Jan. 20 Powerball drawing at the Marathon gas station on East Pickard Street in Mount Pleasant.

"I buy Powerball tickets every once in a while," Horton said. "I don't usually play the Power Play, but when I was purchasing my ticket, the worker suggested adding it, so I did."

Horton said she forgot to check the ticket after the drawing.

"I forgot all about the ticket and found it in my purse about a month later. I scanned it at the store and got a message to visit the lottery office," she recalled.

Horton said it was a shock to learn she had matched four white balls and the Powerball, earning her a $150,000 prize.

"When I realized it was a winning ticket of $150,000, I didn't believe it at first. I thought there was no way I spent $4 and won $150,000. It was a crazy feeling to be holding a ticket worth so much money," she said.

Horton said her winnings will go toward paying bills and taking a family vacation.