Man throws away winning $10,000 lottery ticket but recovers it thanks to kind shopkeeper who helped him find it in a trash can

  • Cedric Jackson bought two tickets at Rick's Food Mart in Rome, Georgia
  • Got the store clerk to throw them away, but realized he made a mistake 
  • Thought he was in with a chance of winning the two $5,000 jackpots 
  • Went back to the store to sift through trash, but came up empty handed
  • But employee Sarabjeet Singh found the ticket and tracked him down
  • Jackson plans to spend winnings helping his family and paying off bills 

When Cedric Jackson thought another week had gone by without winning any money on the lottery, he asked a store employee to throw them in the trash.

But just hours after leaving the convenience store in Rome, Georgia, he saw the numbers and realized he was in with a chance of winning the $5,000 jackpot on each slip.

So he returned to Rick's Food Mart on Friday to sift through the rubbish, but he came up empty handed.

Cedric Jackson (center) said it was a 'blessing from God' that Sarabjeet 'Ricky' Singh (right) from Rick's Food Mart in Rome, Georgia, was able to retrieve the winning tickets from a trash can in his office. Jackson's girlfriend Kizie Donaldson made sure the employee got a large tip when he returned

Cedric Jackson (center) said it was a 'blessing from God' that Sarabjeet 'Ricky' Singh (right) from Rick's Food Mart in Rome, Georgia, was able to retrieve the winning tickets from a trash can in his office. Jackson's girlfriend Kizie Donaldson made sure the employee got a large tip when he returned

He even went through the dumpster to see if the store owners had dropped them out for real. 

It wasn't until later that day store owner Sarabjeet 'Ricky' Singh found the tickets in the trash in his office.

He was able to track down Jackson to get them back to him Sunday. 

Jackson told the Rome News Tribune: 'It was a blessing from God.'

After handing in the ticket and receiving his winnings on Sunday he went back to the same store to try his luck at a few scratch-offs. 

But he said he would put the winnings towards helping his family and paying off some bills. 

His girlfriend Kizie Donaldson made sure Singh got a big tip after retrieving the ticket.

However, Singh said: 'If I had kept them it would have been like stealing.' 

After handing in the ticket and receiving his winnings on Sunday, Jackson went back to the same store to try his luck at a few scratch-offs. He said he would put the winnings towards helping his family and paying off some bills

After handing in the ticket and receiving his winnings on Sunday, Jackson went back to the same store to try his luck at a few scratch-offs. He said he would put the winnings towards helping his family and paying off some bills

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