Store Worker arrested for taking Lottery Tickets

A local convenience store employee stands charged with stealing lottery tickets. Seneca Police report that 24-year-old Darius Alexander Priester of Walhalla was arrested on Friday for one count of defrauding the State Lottery and one count of breach of trust with fraudulent intent. On April 10, the Seneca Police Department and SLED opened an investigation into the theft from the Spinx station in Seneca after a complainant was filed. The manager told police that an employee contacted her stating that she believed Priester was stealing lottery tickets during their shift. The manager stated she then conducted an in store audit of the lottery tickets and found there were a number of scratch-off lottery tickets missing. During a review of the stores surveillance system, investigators observed Priester taking lottery tickets from behind the counter while he was working and then scanning them. Based on the findings of the investigation, Priester was ultimately arrested the same day and booked into the Oconee County Detention Center pending a bond hearing.