Pennsylvania Lottery loser issues death threats against staff

Police have issued an arrest warrant for a frustrated lottery player who repeatedly threatened the lives of Pennsylvania Lottery staff.

On Wednesday, state police announced they were seeking the arrest of 47-year-old Towanda Shields (pictured) for making dozens of death threats against staff at the Pennsylvania Lottery headquarters between April and December 2016. Shields is facing three counts of uttering terroristic threats, 25 counts of harassment and 25 counts of stalking.

Local media quoted Lower Swatara Township police Detective Robert Appleby saying Shields “plays lottery a lot and gets very upset by the fact she doesn’t win.” Appleby said Shields was “completely obsessed with the lottery” and her threats became “so relentless it was becoming a concern.”

Shields reportedly made the threats live over the phone on up to a dozen occasions as well as via 21 voice mail messages, and Appleby claimed “she would get really sexually explicit with her insults.” Shields allegedly claimed her threats were permissible under freedom of expression laws.