Texan missing while buying lottery ticket rescued from hole

How the lottery exploits the poor. Americans spent $70 billion on lottery tickets last year, and half of that probably came from people making $28,000 or less. Illustrates LOTTERY-COMMENT (category f), by Matt O’Brien (c) 2015, The Washington Post. Moved Thursday, May 14, 2015. CREDIT: Courtesy of Flickr user Ross Catrow under Creative Commons.)

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A 67-year-old North Texas man with medical issues who disappeared while going to buy a Powerball ticket has been rescued from a 7-foot hole.

Fort Worth police found Ascension Garcia scared and cold, in the hole at a construction site, but he suffered no serious injuries.

Relatives of Garcia, who has Parkinson’s disease, contacted police Monday night after he stepped out to go to a convenience store for a lottery ticket and didn’t immediately return.

Officer Dustin Shaw was among those searching for Garcia when he noticed a large, open hole nearby. Shaw spotted Garcia at the bottom, in shallow water.

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Officials believe Garcia was walking home, after his purchase, and fell.

Garcia was examined by medical personnel and allowed to go home to await results of Wednesday night’s drawing.