Man living in hotel with granddaughter wins big in Idaho lottery. They plan to move

COEUR D’ALENE (Idaho Statesman) — When Timothy Shearer walked into an Idaho smoke shop, he had originally set out to buy just a hot dog nearby.

Shearer, who lives in a hotel with his 15-year-old granddaughter and his partner, was taking a break from playing the lottery, after all, Idaho lottery officials said in a Wednesday, Sept. 28, Facebook post.

But, just “for fun,” he bought one or two scratch tickets at the Hauser Smoke Shop in Coeur D’Alene, officials said.

Shearer went to check his ticket, but no amount appeared on the screen, officials said. Instead, there was just a four-letter word — “Wooh.”

Confused, thinking the machine may be broken, he went to ask the clerk, who told him “he needs to go to Boise to claim his prize,” lottery officials said.

He had won $10,000, according to the lottery.

“He was elated,” the post said.

Shearer said he plans to use his winnings to fix up his truck and move out of the hotel to somewhere closer to where his granddaughter would like to attend school, officials said.

“All of her old friends are there, and I just want to see her happy,” Shearer said, according to the post.

Coeur D’Alene is about 375 miles north of Boise.