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Lottery winner shoots ex-husband in abduction, sheriff says

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The former Waffle House waitress who gained
national attention for her court fight to hold onto a $10 million
Florida lottery prize shot and wounded her ex-husband in an alleged
kidnapping, a sheriff says.

Tonda Dickerson, 30, was not charged in the Friday shooting in nearby
Jackson County, Miss.

Her ex-husband, Stacy Martin, 35, of Escatawpa, Miss., was in serious
condition Saturday at Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula, Miss.

According to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd, Martin forced his way
into Dickerson’s pickup truck in nearby Grand Bay, Ala., about 6:30 a.m.
Friday and drove into Mississippi.

Dickerson said Martin had taken her to the Bayou Heron boat launch in
the Bayou Cumbest/Pecan area near Pascagoula.
Dickerson said she shot Martin with a .22-caliber pistol taken from her
purse, according to the sheriff’s report.

Following the shooting, she drove Martin to the hospital and reported
the incident to police.
Mobile authorities are expected to charge Martin with kidnapping, Byrd
said.

Dickerson and Martin divorced before
Dickerson claimed a $10 million lottery prize that sparked a long court
fight. Dickerson’s former co-workers at the Waffle House near Mobile
claimed they had a share of the 1999 jackpot. The courts eventually
ruled that Dickerson didn’t have to share it.

Authorities said Martin had recently been released from the Mobile
County Jail, where he was being held on a burglary charge in a December
break-in at Dickerson’s residence.
He also is wanted by Pascagoula authorities on warrants for felony false
pretense and failure to appear in city court.

The shooting incident began when Martin went up to Dickerson’s truck as
she was leaving for work and began berating her, the sheriff said.

Martin forced his way into the truck on the driver’s side, shoved her to
the passenger’s side and drove off.

“All the time they were driving, he told her that he was going to kill
her,” the sheriff said. “They drove on Highway 90 into Jackson County,
where he took her to the boat launch at Bayou Heron, which is an
isolated area.”

During the trip, Dickerson’s cellular telephone rang, but Martin refused
to let her answer it, threatening to kill her if she did.

When the pair arrived at the boat launch, Dickerson pleaded with Martin
to let her go, according to the sheriff’s report.

During her pleadings, her phone rang a second time.

“She asked him to let her answer it, saying that if she didn’t answer
it, they would start looking for her,” the sheriff said.

When Martin agreed to let her answer it, Dickerson pulled out the
pistol. Martin lunged toward her.

She shot him in the right side of the chest, according to the sheriff.

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