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Police in Windham investigate latest in string of lottery scratch ticket thefts

Police in Windham investigate latest in string of lottery scratch ticket thefts
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. IN SCRATCH TICKETS. THEY TOOK THE WHOLE RACK. ONE PERSON CARRIED THE WHOLE THING OUT. STACEY LEBLANC WAS SCHEDULED TO OPEN THE STORE ON MARCH 19TH. WHEN SHE CAME IN, GLASS COVERED THE FLOOR FROM THE FRONT WINDOW, AND THE CASE OF SCRATCH TICKET ON THE COUNTER WAS GONE. IT’S A LITTLE UNNERVING BECAUSE I JUST DON’T. YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU KNOW? BUT DIVINE TIMING. SHE SAYS. THERE ARE 40 DIFFERENT SCRATCH TICKETS IN THE CASE, WITH ABOUT 150 TICKETS OF EACH KIND. IT’S THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. IT LOOKS LIKE THERE MAINLY TARGETING THE LOTTERY TICKETS. HOWEVER, IN ONE OF OURS THEY TRIED TO TAKE SOME TOBACCO PRODUCTS TOO. WINDHAM POLICE CHIEF MICHAEL KATHERINE SAYS THEY’RE ALSO SEEING SIMILAR THEFTS. TWO IN THE LAST SIX DAYS, ONE ON THE 23RD AT HOWIE, GLENN AND SONS CONVENIENCE STORE AND ONE JUST THIS MORNING AT THE WINDHAM VARIETY STORE. AND THEY WERE IN AND OUT WITHIN LESS THAN A MINUTE OR TWO. POLICE WERE WARNING STORES IN THE AREA ABOUT THE ROBBERIES. THE OWNER OF WINDHAM VARIETY CALLED 911 THIS MORNING WATCHING THE BREAK INS IN REAL TIME AT HOME ON SECURITY VIDEO. WE RESPONDED, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THAT, WE GOT THAT THE TWO SUBJECTS HAD LEFT THE AREA. THE CHIEF SAYS THE VARIETY STORE’S SECURITY CAMERAS CAUGHT THIS MASKED SUBJECT OUTSIDE CANVASING THE STORE EARLY THIS MORNING. THEIR CAMERAS DID NOT SEE THE GETAWAY CAR, BUT CHIEF CARRON BELIEVES IN SEABROOK. A BLUE BMW WAS THERE. AT THIS TIME, HE SAYS. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A THREAT TO THE PUBLIC. AS FAR AS I KNOW, THEY’RE DOING IT WHEN THE STORES ARE CLOSED. AND NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF SIMILAR ROBBERIES IN MERRIMACK, FREMONT AS WELL AS IN MASSACHUSETTS. THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LOTTERY COMMISSION SAYS THEY ARE AWARE OF THESE ROBBERIES AND WORKING WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES. IN THE PAST. THE COMMISSION HAS TOLD US THAT STOLEN SCRATCH TICKETS ARE FLAGGED AND CANNOT BE R
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Police in Windham investigate latest in string of lottery scratch ticket thefts
Windham police are searching for masked burglars who broke into the Windham Variety Store on Friday morning and stole a case of scratch tickets, the latest in a string of similar thefts in New Hampshire.Police said that in the past month, six stores have reported similar robberies.Richdale Convenience Store in Seabrook was robbed on March 19. Employee Stacie Leblanc said she opened the store that day and discovered the thefts. She said she found an open space on the counter and glass all over the floor from the window.Seabrook police say three people wearing masks smashed the front window and stole the case of scratch tickets on the counter.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<Leblanc said the surveillance video showed that it happened in seconds. She said the case holds 40 types of scratch tickets, with about 150 tickets of each kind.In Windham there were two similar robberies this week. Windham police said they are looking for a person who they said broke into the Windham Variety Store at about 4 a.m. Friday."It looks like they're mainly targeting the lottery tickets," said Windham Police Chief Michael Caron. "However, in one of ours, they tried to take some tobacco products, too."Police had warned stores in the area about the robberies. The owner of Windham Variety called 911 Friday morning while watching the break-in in real time at home on security video."We responded based on that," Caron said. "By the time we got there, the two subjects had left the area."The New Hampshire Lottery Commission said it is aware of the thefts and working with police in the communities where similar robberies have taken place.In the past, the commission has said that if stolen tickets are flagged, they cannot be cashed if they are a winner.

Windham police are searching for masked burglars who broke into the Windham Variety Store on Friday morning and stole a case of scratch tickets, the latest in a string of similar thefts in New Hampshire.

Police said that in the past month, six stores have reported similar robberies.

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Richdale Convenience Store in Seabrook was robbed on March 19. Employee Stacie Leblanc said she opened the store that day and discovered the thefts. She said she found an open space on the counter and glass all over the floor from the window.

Seabrook police say three people wearing masks smashed the front window and stole the case of scratch tickets on the counter.

>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<

Leblanc said the surveillance video showed that it happened in seconds. She said the case holds 40 types of scratch tickets, with about 150 tickets of each kind.

In Windham there were two similar robberies this week. Windham police said they are looking for a person who they said broke into the Windham Variety Store at about 4 a.m. Friday.

"It looks like they're mainly targeting the lottery tickets," said Windham Police Chief Michael Caron. "However, in one of ours, they tried to take some tobacco products, too."

Police had warned stores in the area about the robberies. The owner of Windham Variety called 911 Friday morning while watching the break-in in real time at home on security video.

"We responded based on that," Caron said. "By the time we got there, the two subjects had left the area."

The New Hampshire Lottery Commission said it is aware of the thefts and working with police in the communities where similar robberies have taken place.

In the past, the commission has said that if stolen tickets are flagged, they cannot be cashed if they are a winner.