LUCK RUNS OUT FOR LOTTERY TICKET THIEVES; 4 INDICTED

A grand jury indicted four people accused of stealing $150,000 in instant lottery tickets from convenience stores and service stations in Denver, Boulder and other Front Range communities.

The Colorado Attorney General's office identified the accused ringleader as Richard McBee, and said his scratch-happy gang would target locations staffed by a single clerk - and lure the clerk from the counter.

"While the store clerk was distracted, McBee would sneak behind the counter and steal high-value lottery scratch tickets from the store’s dispenser," the AG's office said.

"Within hours of the theft, and before the theft was discovered, McBee would enter a different gas station or store to redeem prizes from the stolen lottery tickets," the AG's office said.