Story Published:
Nov 14, 2002 at 9:39 AM PST
Story Updated:
Aug 30, 2006 at 11:52 PM PST
TACOMA - A man who falsely claimed he had won a $93
million lottery jackpot used the same story to persuade a bail
bonding company to get him out of jail, authorities said.
Hillary Lee Walls, 27, of Parkland was ordered back to jail
Wednesday after a bail bondsman revoked the bond he had granted
Walls.
"Basically, he was using the winning lottery ticket as the
security for the bond," said Michael Austin Stewart, a lawyer
representing C. J. Johnson Bail Bonds. "And obviously, the winning
lottery ticket could not be used for the bond."
Walls was initially jailed after he appeared on television
claiming to have the winning ticket in the Mega Millions game, and
detectives recognized him as having outstanding forgery and theft
charges.
Pat and Dick Warren, a retired couple from Hoquiam, produced the
winning ticket and claimed the jackpot Tuesday after Walls was
arrested.
Walls bailed out Tuesday afternoon after the bonding company
provided $15,000 bail, but required that Walls produce the money
within 24 hours.
Wednesday afternoon, Walls was back in court, where he pleaded
innocent to charges that he tried to steal from Osborne-McCann
Cadillac Hummer in Tacoma.
Prosecutors allege he had tried to use the lottery jackpot to
buy a $140,000 Hummer from the Tacoma dealership.
Walls is being investigated in other fraud cases. He is
scheduled to stand trial in December on charges he scammed someone
out of money, bought a truck, then sold it.