Man Allegedly Kidnaps Ex-Girlfriend Over Lottery Ticket, Assaults Responding Officers

A Tennessee man is in police custody after he allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend’s house and kidnapped her, thinking she had a winning lottery ticket, per NBC News.

An arrest affidavit filed by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office notes that it all started when 43-year-old Dontrell Hanes arrived at his ex-girlfriend’s home in Cordova, Tennessee, demanding to get inside. Hanes was frustrated because he had not “received his lottery ticket” and believed he was owed money. Hanes’ girlfriend, who spoke to local news outlet WREG News Channel 3 on the condition of anonymity, said that’s when he allegedly kicked down the door and entered her home.

“He initially was just choking me just dragging me out the house,” she said. “He bought five for that day, he bought my mom one. My mom has Alzheimer’s, so she took the tickets and she did not intend to…and even though it wasn’t a winning ticket he still wanted it, and so she said something he didn’t like and he just clicked and kick the door in.”

She was brought to Hanes’ car and told police she was alone with him for seven hours as he drove from Memphis to Horn Lake, making various stops along the way to demand she pay him $10,000. The woman told police he even engaged in a shoot-out in Orange Mound. Haines eventually allowed her to call her family, who then pinged her cell phone to a gas station in Hickory Hill, where authorities arrived and tried to detain Hanes.

“I thought I was gonna die because he said that was it,” the ex-girlfriend said. “He didn’t have anything to live for, so I kept saying: ‘why you gotta take me with you?’ I was not ready to die.”

Hanes allegedly assaulted four deputies as they tried to arrest him, and was ultimately charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault and assault against a first responder. 

The events unfolded as the Powerball lottery jackpot rose to a world record $2.04 billion on Monday night. An anonymous winner from California was announced on Tuesday morning.