Gift of a Fake lottery ticket is a holiday bummer

By Times Wires
Published December 24, 2007

NAPLES

When single mother Mary Ann Shaffer scratched a lottery ticket last week, she thought Christmas had come early.

The ticket indicated she was a $25,000 winner.

"I said, 'Oh my God, it's a miracle,'" Shaffer told the Naples Daily News.

She looked on the back to find a telephone number to claim her winnings.

Elation quickly turned to sadness as she realized the ticket, given to her by a customer at her concession stand, was fake.

"Claim forms supplied by Santa Claus. All winning tickets must be validated by the tooth fairy and conform to her game rules ... All winners are losers and must have an excellent sense of humor," the ticket read.

"How can anyone be so mean around Christmas time?" said Bear Terstegge, a Naples Beach patrol officer who examined the ticket.

Word about the fake ticket spread quickly around the Naples pier where Shaffer sells hot dogs and water.

"It touched everybody's heart," Terstegge said.

In the past few days, Shaffer, who has two young children, has received cards, gift certificates and hefty tips. One regular brought presents for her kids.

And she's even received a few lottery tickets - real ones.

MARATHON

Search for missing boater is called off

The Coast Guard has suspended a search for a 62-year-old man whose boat sank off the Florida Keys early Friday.

Alejandro Rodriguez was rescued by another boater near Coffins Patch Light, 10 miles southeast of Marathon, about 12 hours after the vessel sank. The 37-year-old man told authorities he was aboard the 31-foot boat with a friend.

The Coast Guard suspended its search for Marciano Vover on Sunday.

Officials had been searching an area of about 2,000 square miles, approximately the size of Delaware.

PAHOKEE

City officials working to stop theft of water

City officials said they are losing millions of dollars in large part because some residents appear to be stealing water from the utility.

Pahokee officials have now begun working with law enforcement and various other state agencies to stop the theft.

City Manager Lillie Latimore estimates Pahokee is losing up to $1-million a year - about 40 percent of its revenue - because of theft, leaky pipes and faulty city record keeping.

Officials said some residents have illegally attached pipes to city water lines or to their neighbor's meters. Some residents even keep dogs in the area to prevent city officials from reading the meters, officials said.

Vice Mayor Henry Crawford claimed that some residents haven't paid bills for up to 20 years because of the illegal hookups.

ROYAL PALM BEACH

Woman's body found burning near church

Authorities say a woman's body was discovered on fire near a church in Royal Palm Beach, in central Palm Beach County.

A sheriff's deputy used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames early Sunday near Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church.

Authorities have not identified the woman. They say she is between 20 and 40.

BAL HARBOUR

Baby Jesus is getting a GPS to foil thieves

A baby Jesus statue here is getting a Global Positioning System for Christmas.

The statue, part of a nativity scene, will be equipped with the device after the previous statue went missing, even though it had been bolted down.

"I don't anticipate this will ever happen again," said Dina Cellini, who oversees the display, "but we may need to rely on technology to save our savior."

The Mary and Joseph statues will also be fitted with GPS devices, she said.

The devices are being bought using residents' contributions and Cellini's own money.

Cellini also has installed a plexiglass screen in front of the display.

JACKSONVILLE

Church sanctuary burns; no injuries

Authorities say the sanctuary of Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church has been destroyed in a fire, but no injuries have been reported.

Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department spokesman Tom Francis says the fire was reported shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday. More than 70 firefighters battled the blaze and it was brought under control around 6 a.m.

Francis says power was also out in some areas near the church.

Francis says the church's gymnasium and possibly its administrative offices were saved.

He added that investigators, including an arson task force, are on the scene searching for a cause for the blaze.

[Last modified December 23, 2007, 23:12:37]