Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 27, 1993 TAG: 9308270273
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Newport News Daily Press
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Short
Gerald L. Ranes of Newport News, winner of the fourth-largest prize in the state's Lotto game, declined to be interviewed about his recent windfall.
"Just give me my privacy," said Ranes, who was playing pool in a darkly lit bar and restaurant Thursday night. "I'm sorry. I just want to spend time with my friends."
A short, balding man with blue eyes, Ranes was dressed in cowboy boots, acid-washed jeans and a short-sleeved yellow shirt with an insignia on the pocket. After taking his shot, he picked up a sweating beer bottle and sat down at the bar next to his wife, Sue, a cook at the restaurant.
"You can talk to me in Richmond," said Ranes, who is retired from the Coast Guard.
Earlier in the day, Ranes had the ticket with the winning combination - 1, 8, 10, 28, 39 and 42 - validated at the lottery's regional office in Hampton, said Paula Otto, lottery spokeswoman.
Ranes and his wife plan to turn the ticket over to lottery officials in Richmond today. Cherie Phaup, another lottery spokeswoman, said if Ranes claims the jackpot as an individual, it would be the largest prize to be won by just one person since the state game started in 1990.
Ranes, who inspects ships for a living, will be paid in 20 annual installments of $833,000 after taxes.
by CNB