Holder Challenges Claim of Missing Lottery Ticket

Two women -- one with a ticket, one tearfully without -- each claimed a $162-million lottery jackpot Tuesday, triggering a legal dispute.

Elecia Battle went to police Monday with the teary story of a lottery ticket lost outside a convenience store, and a small crowd soon gathered in the snowy parking lot in search of the precious paper scrap.

Tuesday morning, Rebecca Jemison said Battle’s claim prompted her to quit stalling, submit her ticket and collect the prize from the Dec. 30 drawing.

“I was angry at first, but not worried at all,” said Jemison, 34. “I knew what I possessed.”

Battle, 40, filed suit Tuesday seeking to halt any payout.

Police, who originally said Battle had told a credible story about losing the winning ticket, are now investigating whether she lied in a police report, a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days to six months in jail.

Jemison turned in the ticket for the 11-state Mega Millions jackpot at Ohio Lottery headquarters. The lottery validated it Tuesday as the sole winning ticket for the drawing, and Ohio Lottery Director Dennis Kennedy said the lottery is confident Jemison bought the ticket.