Philly Woman Jailed On Alleged Loser-Fueled Lottery Threats

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Philadelphia woman has been jailed on charges she repeatedly made obscene and violent threats in calls to Pennsylvania Lottery headquarters because she was frustrated by losing on scratch-off tickets.

Pennlive.com reports 47-year-old Towanda Shields was arrested Thursday in Philadelphia.

She allegedly told employees she knew where they lived because she "Googled them up on the Google" and had hired someone to harm their families.

Shields is charged and jailed in Dauphin County because that's where the lottery's headquarters are located, just outside Harrisburg. Online court records don't list a defense attorney.

Shield faces a preliminary hearing Jan. 19 on 25 counts each of harassment and stalking, as well as three counts of making terroristic threats.

Shields allegedly ended some calls with a lottery advertisement catchphrase: "Keep on scratchin'."

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