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Police: Suspects manipulate machine to steal lottery tickets
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Men suspected in the theft of lottery tickets in multiple locations, including in Oakwood and Gainesville, were seen coming and going in this Ford Expedition, according to Oakwood Police.

A day after the largest Powerball drawing ever, three suspects in Oakwood are accused of manipulating a convenience store’s lottery ticket machine to get tickets without paying, police said.

Oakwood Police are looking for three suspects from an alleged Jan. 14 theft involving $200 in lottery tickets.

“When they get to the machine, one is standing on each side of the machine to provide cover while the third guy uses some type of … a metal device that he’s pulling out of his pocket and sliding into the bill acceptor which is creating false credits,” Oakwood Police Investigator Todd Templeton said.

Templeton said the suspects appear to be three Hispanic males that allegedly left the Oakwood location and “traveled to another convenience store located in Gainesville where they committed the same type of theft.”

“They appear like they could be painters,” Templeton said. “They had paint all over their clothing.”

The suspects are also accused of committing this type of theft in metro Atlanta stores. They were seen coming and going in an older model black Ford Expedition.

Anyone with information is asked to call 770-534-2364. The Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line is also available at 404-577-8477 for those who want to give information anonymously.

Crime Stoppers offers up to a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and an indictment.