$310.5M Powerball winner: 'I'm still in disbelief'

A 50-year-old woman from Three Rivers, Mich., came forward today as the winner of last week's $310-million Powerball game.

Julie Leach spoke at a news conference in Lansing and announced she planned to take a lump sum of money worth $197 million before taxes. Leach purchased the winning ticket at 6:30 p.m. at the Three Rivers West Shell station in the southwestern Michigan community of Three Rivers.

The winning numbers were 21, 39, 40, 55 and 59, and the Powerball was 17.

"I'm still in disbelief," Leach said. "I'm overwhelmed. I was having a really bad night at work and I thought I better check my numbers."

The jackpot can be paid over 30 years or the winner can choose a lump sum of about $197 million before taxes. Leach said she immediately quit her job after finding out she won.

Leach says she'll take care of her kids and 11 grandchildren with the jackpot. One of her grandchildren who attended the news conference said she wants a "big Barbie house" and an iPhone 6.

"I kept trying to focus my eyes on the numbers and dates," she said. "You just don't ever think it's going to happen."

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Leach said she's hired a financial planner to help manage the large windfall of cash.

"I haven't even thought about how we're doing anything," she said. "My main focus was getting somebody to help me so I can make the right decisions and right choices."

Vaughn Avery, Leach's partner of 36 years, said he was sleeping when Leach realized she won the Powerball.

"I said, 'You're kidding me, get out of here,' " Avery said. "I thought I was dreaming. 'She goes no, we won it.' I had to look at it. I looked on her phone, grabbed my phone, pulled the website up. I just couldn't believe it. I said, 'I really need to go back to bed to get up for work.' She said, 'You don't ever have to go to work.' "

Avery said the couple plans to travel a bit and enjoy life.

"Just being financially set, my kids taken care of, being able to travel and being able to do what we want to do, that's really all we want," Avery said.

WZZM-TV contributed to this report. Contact Katrease Stafford: kstafford@freepress.com