Winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Portal, Georgia

Saturday, February 23, 2008 posted 10:24 AM EST

A 47-year old iron worker from the tiny town of Portal, Ga., claims to have won the $270 Mega Millions lottery. He showed up Saturday morning to celebrate at Clyde's Market, where he bought the ticket Friday night.

The winner, who would only give an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter his name as "Mr. Harris," said he lives in a mobile home with his wife and two daughters and drives to Atlanta to work on skyscrapers.

"But all that's about to change," he said. "I used to live in a trailer. And I USED to be an iron worker."

Georgia Lottery officials could not be reached for comment Saturday morning to confirm that Harris purchased the winning ticket. Harris said he selected the winning numbers 7, 12, 13, 19, 22 by using the birthdates of his six granddaughters, but he did not elaborate.

"I'm too happy and confused right now to think too clear," he said.

Georgiana Mulrooney "a clerk who works at Clyde's Market on Highway 80, the main road through the town of about 600" confirmed that the store sold Harris the ticket. She said the store and Harris has been in touch with lottery officials Saturday morning.

At the only other place in Portal where lottery tickets are sold, Mighty Mike No. 19 on Highway 80, clerk Bridget Clarke said they were crossing their fingers earlier Saturday morning that the winning ticket had been sold there since a portion of the winnings goes to the retailer that sells the winning ticket.

"It's just between us and the other store," she said.

Guessing who had won was all the talk early Saturday morning. Bulloch County Sheriff Lynn M. Anderson, who said he read that the ticket had been sold in Portal on ajc.com, said he and a group of five had bought lottery tickets Friday.

One of the members was absent Saturday morning from their usual coffee gathering. "We thought maybe she already went to Atlanta to collect," said Anderson.

At Portal Auto and Hardware, store owner Sammy Deal the phone was ringing off the hook with people speculating who won. Were they from Portal or just passing through? And what would it mean to the town, which is a farming community?

"With that kind of money," he said, "they could buy the place."

Harris didn't mention the purchase of the city as one of the items on his shopping list.

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