Kalamazoo Couple Robbed Of… Lottery Tickets?

Crime has been up lately in West Michigan, but it's not just here- crime is up everywhere in the US. We've seen a rise in catalectic converter thefts, Kias and Hyundais being stolen for various reasons, and businesses reporting record losses due to petty theft.

Obviously when you hear of robberies, you think of high ticket items, or at least bare minimum, they're looking for cash. This early morning thief in Kalamazoo was looking for a little more instant with potential versus the traditional cash or jewelry grab.

A call came in for the Kalamazoo Police shortly after 3:40am on Friday July 22nd from a Couple who had stopped at the Circle K on N 32nd street.  They said they'd be robbed by a stranger, but they didn't take cash, guns or jewelry they wanted their scratch off lottery tickets. Police haven't said what weapon was used in the robbery, but we do know that the robbers (a man and a woman) fled the scene in a dark car.

Why would someone steal lottery tickets? I guess it depends on who you ask. It may have been in lieu of any cash or valuables they had on their person at the time. And while a lottery ticket may not seem very valuable, it's hard to tell if it isn't been played yet.

This scenario reminds me of an episode of the FX show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in which the gang decides to argue over who is the rightful owner of a lottery ticket that isn't scratched due to it's "potential" value and not it's retail value. So while, it may seem insane to want a $5 scratcher ticket, wouldn't you be more mad if you found out that it was worth $15,000 once you played it?

(This episode has some questionable content, viewer discretion is advised) 

There's no word on the criminal(s) or what they're doing with what they stole, but the Kalamazoo police are on the lookout for them (and hopefully they find them before they scratch) If you know any details, you can contact the Kalamazoo Sheriff's office at 269-383-8748 or if you'd like remain anonymous, you can call the silent observer line at 269-343-2100.